New Delhi:
As another 8 people died in Kashmir today - 23 have died since Friday - Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said "We have to break the cycle of violence."
Abdullah was in Delhi to meet with the Prime Minister, the Defence Minister, the Foreign Minister and the Home Minister in Delhi. Addressing the press after that meeting, Abdullah said that the state has to show "a semblance of normalcy" before political initiatives can begin.
(Kashmir violence: Govt buildings, railway station attacked)Referring to the protests that have been getting larger and have led to clashes with security forces, he said, "As much as one wishes not to have to resort to force, when people take law into their own hands, there are consequences. I have been appealing to people to stop this system of lawlessness and to allow the government to take steps to restore normalcy. Curfew where announced will have to be implemented strictly. There will be no other way around this," he added. Hours after his statement, a police station in Rajpura was set on fire. All five buildings of the station were gutted. Twenty people were reported injured in clashes.
"My hands are tied only because I want to keep casualties to a minimum. But restraint cannot be one-sided," said the beleaguered Chief Minister.
Stressing that the problem of J&K is a political one, Omar said he believes the state "needs a political package more than an economic one... but some semblance of normalcy has to be the precursor to taking any initiative."
Earlier today, the violence and unrest in Kashmir was raised by LK Advani in the Lok Sabha. The BJP leader said the Prime Minister should explain what the government is doing to control the situation there.
"It should be told what all has been done to control the situation in Kashmir. What are the facts? The police is saying we have never seen a situation like this before. The house would like to know what's the situation," said Advani.
The Home Minister, P Chidambaram, said, in Parliament, "Jammu and Kashmir is a very sensitive state and problems are well known. Over the last few days, situation (in Kashmir) has taken a serious turn. After July 19, there was a lull. But after July 30, the situation has again taken a serious turn."