“Mere bas mein hota toh Burhan Wani ko zinda rakhta aur unse dialogue karta (If it were up to me, Burhan Wani would have been kept alive and a dialogue would have taken place), said senior Congress leader Saifuddin Soz on Friday, triggering a controversy.
The Congress MP told ANI: I would have made him understand that a bridge of friendship between Pakistan, Kashmir and India can be built and he could also be useful in that. But now he has died. We should understand the pain of Kashmiris," Saifuddin Soz told ANI.
His comment comes a day before Hizbul Mujahideen 'commander' Burhan Wani’s death anniversary on July 8. Wani was killed by security forces on July 8 last year which triggered violence in the Valley and led to the death of nearly 100 protesters.
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In April, Soz said the current problem in Kashmir was created by India and not Pakistan.
Last year, Soz had suggested the Centre to scarp Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) as a first step in Jammu and Kashmir if it wanted to respond to the “grim situation” prevailing in the state, reported The Indian Express.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday directed internet service providers to completely suspend their services in Kashmir till further orders in view of the first death anniversary of Wani this weekend.
Separatist groups have called for a strike on July 8 to pay homage to those killed in action by the security forces against stone-pelting mobs.
