How much of `healing touch has the Mufti brought to Kashmir?
Well, the phrase is more a slogan than a reality in Kashmir. They have failed on both this and the promise during the elections of facilitating a dialogue between the separatists and Delhi, and finding a peaceful and honourable place for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. In the Mufti’s era, till last week, 673 people have died; we have seen an increase in human rights violations, innocents being targeted by the police and the army, though there was a hue and cry about the disbanding of the Special Operations Group (SOG). But the SOG is still functioning unofficially still abducting people and asking for money and violations are going on in the name of law and order. The best example is last week’s incident when an Imam of a local mosque was gunned down with his 11-year-old son. They said it was a mistake. Well such mistakes are being regularly committed. The very presence of the army and paramilitary forces in huge numbers shows no healing has taken place. The government says militancy-
