‘NC responsible for mess in Kashmir’
‘Army conducting sports activities to give direction to frustrated youth’
SRINAGAR: Former Chief of the Indian Army, V.K Singh, accused of plotting to destabilise the government in Jammu and Kashmir while he was in service, has denied that the Army was responsible for the summer unrest in 2010.
General (retired) Singh has said that the army was instead helping in the valley- by using sports to give a direction to ‘frustrated’ youth.
Singh, in an telephonic interview to a local news agency, CNS, came down heavily upon the ruling National Conference party and said it was misleading the people that the unrest in 2010 was triggered by the alleged fake encounter in Machhil.
“The reality is that this agitation started when a youth namely Tufail Matoo was killed by police in Srinagar city,” he told CNS.
Blaming NC for deterioration of the situation in 2010, General Singh said the Army “tried its best” to pacify the youth. He said it was on his directions that the Army started to conduct sports activities in the valley “so that ‘frustrated’ youth could be shown a direction.”
“Hundreds of Kashmir youth participated in Kashmir Premier League (KPL) and other activities. Army is there to restore peace and work for the welfare of the people but it is National Conference which is alienating the youth of Valley,” General Singh said.
An Indian Express report has said that General Singh used a special unit of the army to overthrow the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. The report says that he paid money to Ghulam Hassan Mir, a present minister here, to help in the plan.
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However, the former army chief has denied the allegations. “It is political vendetta and nothing else,” he said. General Singh said Mir loved India by heart and to “blame him is to blame God (sic).’.
“He is a true Indian and loves the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Persons like Mir are not present everywhere. He would die but would never allow anyone to tarnish the sovereignty of the Country,” General Singh said.
