Mehbooba Mufti announces amnesty to first-time stone-pelters

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service 

Jammu, November 23

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has announced amnesty to first-time stone pelters by initiating the process of withdrawing FIRs against them.

In a Twitter post on Wednesday night, Mufti said: "It gives me immense satisfaction to restart the process of withdrawing FIRs against first-time offenders of stone pelting. My government had initiated the process in May 2016 but it was unfortunately stalled due to the unrest later that year. It is a ray of hope for these young boys and their families. This initiative will provide them an opportunity to rebuild their lives."

The Centre's special representative on Jammu and Kashmir Dineshwar Sharma had recommended the move to instil confidence among the stakeholders for a sustained dialogue to resolve the Kashmir issue.

More than 11,500 cases have been registered against stone pelters since July 8 last year when trouble erupted in Kashmir following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani in an encounter. Out of these, over 4,500 cases were registered against first-time stone pelters.

Meanwhile, former chief minister Omar Abdullah, however, took a dig at her saying that she took instructions from the Central government while making a decision related to her government.

“Centre’s big amnesty push”! Looks like Mehbooba Mufti’s only job is to take instructions from the Central Govt. This should have been a State Govt decision,” Omar wrote on Twitter.