Deal with situation in J&K in non-partisan manner: Sinha

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 23

A group of prominent citizens on Saturday urged the Narendra Modi government to deal with the current situation post-Pulwama attack in a “non-partisan manner” and avoid any attempt to leverage the development in Jammu and Kashmir for electoral purposes.

“At a time when the nation is passing through trying circumstances, we appeal that the government must not take any steps which detract from the Constitutional framework of the country or the universally accepted principles of Rule of Law,” the group comprising former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha, Wajahat Habibullah, Sushobha Barve, Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak (retd) and Bharat Bhushan said in a statement.

They said it is imperative that no innocent Kashmiri, within J&K or in the rest of India, is made to feel insecure or unsafe and in this context recent pronouncements of the Supreme Court brought much solace.

“We recognise that terrorism is a grave threat to the nation, especially terrorism emanating from Pakistan and deserves to be condemned in the strongest terms. Terrorism is a grave issue and has to be dealt with unitedly by the nation’s leadership cutting across political lines. The current situation must, therefore, be dealt with in a non-partisan manner. Any attempt to leverage the developments in J&K for electoral purposes is fraught with danger and should be avoided at all costs,” the statement said.