Making reopening of schools a benchmark to gauge normalcy leading to attack on them: Omar Abdullah

SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said making the reopening of schools a benchmark to gauge the return of normalcy in the unrest-hit Valley was leading to arson attacks on the educational institutions.

Making the reopening of schools a benchmark to gauge the return of normalcy is what leads to arson attacks by those who ferment trouble, Omar wrote on Twitter.

Omar, the working president of opposition National Conference (NC), said the government must get a grip on the situation in the Valley and then the schools would reopen on their own.

Schools must reopen but not in isolation.

The government must get a grip on the situation in toto and schools, shops will open on their own, he said.

The educational institutions in Kashmir have been shut since the unrest began following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8.

The state's Education Minister Naeem Akhtar has been making a strong pitch for reopening of the schools.

However, there has been a spurt in the arson attacks on schools in the Valley in the last few weeks.

During the nearly four-month long unrest, as many as 26 schools have been burnt.