The Urdu daily Kashmir Uzma editorially writes that as an election gimmick, Congress and BJP are engaged in a war of words over Kashmir. Excerpts:
War of Words:
“The war of words between BJP and Congress in the context of Kashmir has revealed certain things. That BJP considers the autonomy enjoyed by the state as equivalent to ‘azadi’
Commenting on Centre’s offer for conducting negotiations without pre-conditions has been taken with skepticism by the people in view of their past experiences regarding such initiatives, writes Urdu daily Chattan editorially.
The Trust Deficit:
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has thrown open its helpline (1441) for local militants willing to surrender to establish contact, CRPF Inspector General Zulfiquar Hasan told The Hindu on 20th November, 2017.
Mr. Hasan, IG Operations in Srinagar said the helpline, launched earlier this year, has received more than 70,000 calls. “Since it is an established helpline, we decided that it should be used to help the local militants return home. We will guide them,” he said.
Foreign militants in Kashmir Valley would not be spared but security forces would pull out all the stops to ensure that the local boys who have joined terror groups come back to the mainstream, Mr. Hasan said.