Srinagar, May 1 : Former Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said Kashmiris were never votaries of violence but were caught between two guns.
Reacting to the recent killing of tourists in Pahalgam, she said the spontaneous protests by locals were a message from the people of Kashmir to ‘terrorists’ that terrorism is not acceptable.
“Those tourists were our guests. This was a moment where Kashmiris stood up to say no to terror. This is an opportunity for the central government to recognise that Kashmiris have taken a small but meaningful step. The nation must now take two,” she said.
She said “Kashmiris have changed. They don’t want violence anymore. They have dropped the gun. They want peace,” she stressed.
Referring to the backlash against the recent terrorist attack on tourists, she said even terrorists were shocked by the strong public protest. “People went to every corner protesting. That was to show we reject this terrorism. The tourists were our guests, and Kashmiris were deeply hurt.”
(With Inputs from KNS)
