Vajpayee doctrine is the way forward: Mehbooba Mufti

SRINAGAR: While terming the incidents of burning schools across Kashmir unfortunate, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday revealed that she was expecting a good news within a week, regarding the current situation in the Valley.

The Chief Minister, on the first day of the opening of government secretariat at winter capital Jammu, reiterated that former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's doctrine was the only way forward for the two nuclear neighbors and Pakistan to reciprocate the friendship hand, PM Narendra Modi extended during his last Lahore visit.

The ongoing protests in Valley, which started in July after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani, entered its 122nd day on Monday , with 94 people killed, more than 13,000 injured and 8000 arrests.


“Biggest casualty of this unrest has been the schools. The government has already taken into custody the miscreants...I am confident... I am hopeful there would be some good news for us in a week's time,“ Mufti told reporters.

Hurriyat leaders, Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yasin Malik, who are spearheading the ongoing uprising by issuing weekly protest calen dars, were allowed to meet on Sunday, first time in last four months. They have called another meeting on Tuesday, with all stakeholders including civil society members, which would decide the future course of ongoing protests.

Education became flashpoint after government stressed on reopening of schools and decided to conduct the board exams amid the crisis. During unrest, around 30 schools were damaged in fire across Valley, by the miscreants, some of whom, police claims, to have arrested.