Don't blame Pakistan for Kashmir unrest: Mirwaiz

Srinagar: Kashmiri separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Sunday said India's bid to blame Pakistan for the "current revolt" in the Kashmir Valley warranted no response. Farooq, chairman of the moderate Hurriyat Conference, told IANS here that the two-day visit by the Home Minister that ended on Sunday and "his comments are insignificant". The Mirwaiz said New Delhi's "propaganda" on the Kashmir issue that the "current revolt" was sponsored by Pakistan "is so worn out and half-witted that it does not even warrant a response". He said the separatist leadership - including Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Yaseen Malik - believed that the "Kashmiri struggle for freedom like all freedom struggles in the world is both indigenous and sacred". His remarks came after Rajnath Singh on Sunday asked Pakistan not to encourage people in Jammu and Kashmir to become militants, saying India would never tolerate terrorism. The minister's trip came amid the deadliest Kashmir unrest in years that has left 45 people dead in violent stone-throwing protests following the July 8 killing of pro-Pakistan rebel commander Burhan Wani. The Mirwaiz said the separatist leadership "condemns the killing spree" by security forces, injuring thousands and blinding more than 150. He said it was a blot on the face of humanity that a country "which executes such barbarism prides itself as the world's largest democracy".