JD(U) holds Congress responsible for unrest in Kashmir

The Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) on Friday held the Congress responsible for the unrest in the Kashmir Valley.

Reacting on Congress leader Saifuddin Soz's statement that he would have held a dialogue with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani had he been alive, JD(U) Kashmir wing president G.M. Shaheen said, "The main root cause of this matter is the Congress. Since 90s, many Burhan Wanis have emerged - what the Congress did during its own regime. Bilateral talks have stopped since long. It's not new."

Earlier in the day, Congress leader Soz said he would have held dialogue with the Hizbul terrorist, if he was alive.

"If it was in my hands, I would have not let Burhan Wani die. I wanted to hold a dialogue with him. I would have made him understand that a bridge of friendship between Pakistan, Kashmir and India can be built and he could also be useful in that. But now he has died. We should understand the pain of Kashmiris," Saifuddin Soz told ANI.

Meanwhile, the security has been beefed up in the Kashmir Valley ahead of Wani's death anniversary.

Wani, who was the poster boy of the terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, in Kashmir Valley, was gunned down in an encounter in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on July 8 last year.

Widespread protests erupted in Kashmir after Wani's death and curfew was imposed for 53 days. However, the unrest continued for about five months after Wani's death in which 78 people, including two police personnel, were killed.

Considering the unrest post Wani's death, the Jammu and Kashmir government had also ordered house arrest of separatist leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Yasin Malik.

This year till June, Pakistan supported terror outfits like Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba have launched around 22 attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in which 16 civilians, 57 security personnel and 102 terrorists have been killed.