Hitting out at the separatists for bringing business and education to halt in Kashmir, Education Minister Naeem Akhtar today questioned whether they want to leave behind the community of illiterates by such acts.
"We have appealed to all, including separatists what kind of society will you want to leave behind," he said, adding, "Will you leave behind the community of illiterates?"
Taking a dig at separatists for issuingshutdown calenders, he said, "opening schools is not my job alone but also that of teachers who should come to schools and open schools and it is also the job of society to ensure it".
He was replying to a question as to when the schools will reopen and children will go back to schools in Kashmir.
"Look at rural areas and villages. Schools are in local areas... Teachers are from the same area so are the students as well. Every village has more than eight schools.
"Why don't they reopen the schools and that is the job of that community to reopen schools and the people should come out to help us in restoring the school education in the state," he said.
"We have appealed in the past and we are appealing this time too. Whatever you want to do, please do not do it with the children and schools. You cannot achieve anything if you stop children for going to schools," the Minister said.
Asked about Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's statement that schools should reopen withing one week, he said "that you can ask him. We have appealed to all, including separatists what kind ofsociety will you want to leave behind."
Asked about the issuance of shutdown calendars by the separatists, he said "government is fully operational in Kashmir. Whatever the work of government is, it is being done.
"Whether it is ration, water supply or electric supply and also fruit work, it is going on and transport is also running wherever there is need to transport the fruit outside. Supplies are coming from outside including Jammu."
He said the separatists are targeting two things -- Education and business.
"As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concern, currently we have a lot of trouble in Kashmir. But apart from the political aspect of it, the human resource development, the failure on that front, is one of the reasons of current and past troubles," Akhtar said.
"As all of you know that Kashmir is known outside India more for its social fabric than the place it is -- that fabric was produced by our forefathers centuries back. We have to strengthen it," he added.
On the current situation, he said "does anyone kill their own people for fun. There is an environment of turmoil and there has also been loss of life and we are very worried, sad and sad. It is a painful situation but the situation has been imposed on us".
The minister said, "Our jawans and our police have shown utmost restrain. You can see that how many of them have been injured in two and half months period.
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