Watch: Cessation of ops has improved situation, urge separatists to join talks with Centre says Mehbooba

Srinagar: Asserting that cessation of operations by security forces against militants has allowed people of the valley to live in peaceful atmosphere, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti urged all stakeholders, including separatists, to accept the talk offer from the Centre to end bloodshed in the state.
The Chief Minister said that she is hopeful that the Union Home Minister and the Prime Minister will take all these things into consideration before taking a final call on cessation of operations.
“Cessation of operations by security forces against militants has allowed people of the valley to enjoy peaceful atmosphere after a very long time. And with Union Home Minister (Rajnath Singh) putting forth a dialogue offer, I feel as atmosphere is being built to carry forward the political process,” Ms Mehbooba told reporters after inaugurating the newly constructed Mehjoor Nagar bridge for public in the summer capital. (Watch- https://youtu.be/VuIdkMFLFG4)
However, expressing concern over the militant attacks, she said now how far this political process could be carried forward depends upon the improvement of the situation at the ground level. “You can yourself observe on daily bases there are grenade attacks, security forces are attacked and weapons are being snatching… so by these incidents atmosphere further deteriorates,” Ms Mehbooba said.
Putting the onus on Hurriyat Conference, she said, “When we say that J&K is a political issue and it doesn’t have a military solution, it is the responsibility of everyone, including separatists, to accept the talk offer from the centre to end bloodshed in the state.”
Claiming that the development works in Kashmir are being executed under difficult situation, she said this bridge was supposed to be completed two years ago but it took us three years to complete it because the situation in the valley. “We are not able to do what we are required to do,” she added.
Meanwhile, lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ms Mehbooba said it is not every day that such talk offers come from the centre. “The country is being led by a powerful Prime Minister. Cessation of operations happened during the time of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and 18 years after that it has again happened under the leadership of Mr Modi. So this is something which happens every day. So I hope all the stakeholders will come forward to hold talks so that this bloodshed ends,” she added.