Valley reacts to Army chief: Need to engage youth, not talk tough

“Youth rushing to encounter sites and incidents of stone-pelting on the forces during encounters are worrying and alarming signs of the sense of alienation and disenchantment in Kashmir. The need of the hour is to understand and acknowledge the deep sense of isolation in Kashmir and deal with it with statesmanship and magnanimity,’’ he said.

“Aggressive, hot-headed statements will fuel the spurt in local militancy in Kashmir, and make the challenge of engaging with the youth insurmountable. Young men are choosing the path of armed militancy in Kashmir in numbers that we haven’t seen since the early ‘90s. Although the passes are still shut due to snow, militancy-related incidents have increased due to a spurt in young, educated local boys picking up the gun,’’ he said.

“The statement reflects a mindset… The Army chief needs to ask why the Army is being used to crush a movement, and why people gather despite risk to their lives,” said Mirwaiz Umar Farooq of the Hurriyat Conference (M) .

“It is scary that instead of taking this development seriously, they are parroting unfound theories,” said Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani.