Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti at a passing-out parade ceremony in Baramulla. Tribune photo

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Sheeri (Baramulla), January 21

Amid the escalating tension along the borders, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today appealed to both India and Pakistan not to make Jammu and Kashmir a “theatre of war” but a “bridge of friendship” between the two warring neighbours.Mehbooba said the shelling on borders in J&K was happening at a time when the whole country was witnessing development and progress.“Our borders are witnessing ‘khoon ki Holi’ (bloodbath). When the whole country is witnessing development – new hospitals and schools are coming up —- we are witnessing the opposite of it. People are seeking bunkers on borders and they are shifting out of their villages. Our schools are shut and children are trapped inside their homes. I once again appeal to our Prime Minister and our neighbour Pakistan to not allow J&K become ‘jung ka akhada’ (theatre of war), instead make it a bridge of friendship,” Mehbooba said at the passing out parade for police constables at the Subsidiary Training Centre in Sheeri along the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road. “It is our misfortune that our state has become a basis of dispute between our country India and Pakistan,” Mehbooba lamented. Since Thursday nearly a dozen persons – including Army and BSF men – have been killed and several have got injured in the Pakistani shelling in the Jammu region. Chief Minister said people of J&K from both sides were getting killed in these border skirmishes. “For the last few days, our borders are witnessing firing in which several of our people, including civilians, children, have got martyred. The same situation will be on the other side (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir). It is the people of J&K who are getting killed on both sides,” she said. Mehbooba told the new recruits that the J&K Police had the toughest job among all forces in the country.“The police have many challenges at every step. Your challenge is not just to maintain law and order or uphold the rule of law, but you have to face your own people sometimes while maintaining law and order, small children and that time you will have to exercise restraint,” the Chief Minister said. Mehbooba said there was no let-up in the infiltration and youth were taking up arms. “It (youth joining militancy)) is a huge challenge. Our endeavour should be to bring back our youth to their homes by any means. You should especially keep this thing in mind that while fighting militancy civilian killings should not take place,” she said. She advised the new recruits to give special attention to drug addiction and crime against women cases. “Atrocities are being done on women… a minor girl was assaulted in Kuthua. We had to suspend the SHO there because, perhaps, there was some negligence. We have constituted a team to inquire into the incident. So, you have to give special attention to the crimes against our sisters and daughters and provide justice,” she said.