Women are safest in my Kashmir, says Mehbooba taking on Kapil Mishra

After Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Sharma taunted Mehbooba Mufti for not accepting Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani as a terrorist; the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister retorted that women are the safest in Kashmir.

Speaking at the launch function of the Bharat International Travel Bazaar (BITB), Mehbooba said, "Any place in the world, including Delhi, women are safest in my Kashmir. They move around in shikaras and houseboats. That's the biggest thing my state can offer. As compared to any place in the world, including Delhi, women and girls are safest; there is no fear of getting raped in a car."

She also said that the biggest confidence building measure would be if a visit is paid to Jammu and Kashmir.

"The biggest confidence building measure is if you visit our state, it shows that you trust us. We need you, I don't know if you need Kashmir or not, but Kashmir needs you," Mehbooba said.

"People of our nation are so nice and so are the people of Jammu and Kashmir," she added.

Earlier, the Delhi Minister asked Mehbooba "if she considered Burhan Wani a terrorist."

"Do you consider Burhan Wani a terrorist or not?" the AAP leader asked.

"It can't be that you don't accept Burhan Wani as a terrorist and then expect tourism to increase. Terrorism and tourism can't go together. Mahesh Sharma said Kashmir is our pride, but terrorists are treated as tourists there," said Mishra.

"We can fight Pakistan, but how do we fight with people who give shelter to terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir," he added.

The AAP minister underlined that it is "painful" to see that "terrorists are being treated as tourists in Kashmir."

Mufti in the month of July had said that she would have given Burhan Wani "a chance had she known he was trapped in the encounter."

Burhan Wani was killed by the security forces on July 8 following which there was a huge unrest in the state.