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Rediff.com  » News » Enemy wants to defeat our plans: Mufti

Enemy wants to defeat our plans: Mufti

By Onkar Singh in New Delhi
April 02, 2003 14:09 IST
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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Wednesday said the people wanted peace and the enemy is trying to derail the peace process started by his government.

"By killing innocent people the terrorists want to defeat our plans. We would not let them succeed," he said.

He was addressing newsmen after calling on Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in New Delhi. He discussed the law and order situation in Kashmir and other developmental issues with the prime minister.

Mufti said that Vajpayee would lay the foundation stone for the modernisation of the Srinagar airport during his two-day visit to Kashmir on April 18-19th

Asked if he discussed his healing touch policy with Vajpayee, Mufti said his policy is an offshoot of the prime minister's own policies.

"During his 15th August [Independence Day] speech Vajpayeeji had said that we need to make a new beginning in Kashmir. The healing touch is a new beginning. Healing touch is meant for the victims of terrorist violence only.

He refused to confirm or deny if Vajpayee would meet the families of the victims of the Nadimarg massacre during his visit. "We would address this issue later on," he said.

"Over 8,000 Kashmiri Pandits are living in valley. Some of them wanted to migrate to Jammu. We pleaded with them and told them if they leave the valley they would be doing exactly what the enemy wants. They have accepted our request and have agreed to stay back," he said.

He said that the media had failed to notice that after Nadimarg incident the whole of Jammu and Kashmir observed a bandh. "This had never happened before," he said.

He said the private company Ericon, which had executed the Konkan railway project, has started working on a project lay railway lines in Srinagar before 15th of August 2007.

"The work on this project is going on at a very fast pace. Work on the North-South corridor is also going on simultaneously," he said.

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Onkar Singh in New Delhi