Srinagar: Calling for an end to gun culture, Mehbooba Mufti termed the local militants as “sons of the soil”. With this, she has once again given rise to speculations of her being a soft-separatist.
Speaking to media in Anantnag district, she pushed for a dialogue between the Centre and militant leadership. News 18 has quoted her as saying, “Right from the time I came into politics in 1996, I have been saying that local militants are sons of the soil and our maximum efforts should be to save them because they are assets.”
The former chief minister stressed the need for talks with Pakistan and separatists to end the gun culture. However, she said it was “too early (for talks with militants)”.