Decision to release stone pelters taken at oppn’s insistence: Hakeem

Srinagar: While reacting to the media reports that the Center was mulling to drop cases of more than 4500 youth involved in stone pelting for the first, Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) President and MLA Khansahib Hakim Mohammad Yasin Wednesday said the step though is a welcome, but much more needs to be done to create a conducive atmosphere for the talks.
“When Dineshwar Sharma visited here last time, we took up this issue of youth involved in stone pelting with him. It is a good sign, if the cases against youth are dropped. However, much more needs to be done to create a conducive situation for peace process,”Hakim Yasin said in a statement issued to press, here.
Questioning the State Government’s role, he said, “These issues should have been dealt by the State Government at its own level. But they are so helpless before the Center that they have to take permission even to release a young boy involved in stone pelting. The PDP-BJP alliance government in the state has proved an utter failure in the last three years.”
He urged the Government to immediately release the youth and separatist leaders who have been detained in the recent months. “There is no fun in caging people as it won’t solve the problem. Instead government should without any further delay started talks with the separatists and allow the people to move freely,” the PDF chief demanded.
Expressing serious concern over the precarious power situation in the Valley, he said it seems the administration has virtually decided to keep the people in perpetual darkness.
“No power schedule is being followed on ground and even metered areas are facing long and unscheduled power cuts much to the annoyance of public. The transmission and distribution system has also deteriorated thereby depriving the consumers of vital electricity facility. The dilapidated LT network especially in rural areas is posing a grave threat to the life and property of the common man, he stressed,” he said, while urging the government to arrange alternate sources of energy to provide regular power supply to the people across the state.