New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday left for Kashmir on a four-day visit, during which he will hold talks with civil society members, leaders of political and social outfits, business leaders and others.
Singh's visit to the state is seen as a follow-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day speech in which he reached out to the people of the Valley saying "Na gaali se, na goli se, samasya suljegi gale lagane se", (Neither bullets nor recrimination, the problem will be solved by embracing Kashmiris).
He will be accompanied by newly-appointed Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and senior ministry officials.
On Sunday, he is expected to meet various delegations in Srinagar and Jammu and also interact with police jawans, CRPF and BSF personnel in the state. The Minister is slated to interact with college and university students in Srinagar.
During his visit, the Minister will also meet Governor N.N. Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. He will also review the works related to the Prime Minister's development package of Rs 80,000 crore announced in 2015 and security situation in the state.
The Home Minister is likely to attend a comprehensive security review meeting with Mehbooba Mufti and the top brass of the Army, CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police on Sunday. He will address a press conference in Srinagar before leaving for Jammu on Monday. He will also visit a camp of the BSF in Rajouri.
Singh will also meet traders, migrants, Kashmiri pandits and representatives of communities including Gujjars and Bakarwals.
Earlier on Friday, Singh had said,"I am going with an open mind and I am willing to meet all those who come to meet me. We want a resolution to the problems."
The home minister himself had said on August 19 that a solution to the Kashmir problem, besides terrorism, Naxalism, and the northeast insurgency will be found before 2022
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who heads the Congress policy planning group on Kashmir, will also lead a team of party leaders to Jammu and Kashmir next week for discussions on the current situation in the state with party workers and "like-minded" groups
In September 2016, he had visited the state leading an all-party delegation and met people from various sections of society. However, the Kashmiri separatists had rebuffed attempts by five opposition MPs to talk to them.
(With inputs from agencies)
