Ramzan ceasefire was my personal decision and was necessary to bring peace and tranquility in strife torn Kashmir Valley

The union minister for home affairs Rajnath Singh said that the decision to impose ceasefire during Ramzan in strife torn Kashmir Valley was his personal decision, having not followed dictates from any senior leader, thus making explicitely clear that it was not the decision of the prime minister, but his personal one, on the request of the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

The union home minister was today responding to the questions of senior journalist Rajat Sharma on India TV’s popular show AAP KI ADALAT in the presence of several journalists and people from all walks of life present on the show.

Calm and composed as usual with a slight smile on his face, Rajnath Singh said Kashmir and Kashmiris are the very essential part of India and Ramzan is a pious festival of muslims, therefore, imposing ceasefire for a month is an effort to establish peace and tranquility in Kashmir which has been strife torn since long resulting in the killings of civilians and army personals was an inevtability.

He catagorically said that ceasefire dosen’t mean that if there will be a bullet from militants’ side, the army will not retaliate. It will but during Ramzan there won’t be initiation of firing or any action from the side of the Army, come what may.

We are committed to bring peace in the strife torn Kashmir and ceasefire during pious Ramzan and is a step forward to bring peace and tranquility in Kashmir Valley.

On the question of abolition of article 370 by a person in the audience, Home minister Rajnath Singh outrightly refused to answer the question saying that he has no right and authority to answer questions which affect the health of the nation and not in tune with the unity and integrity of the country. There are certain situations and circumstances which warrant certain extraordinary decisions and when the time would be ripe accurate decisiins do take place but not now.

On the question of safety and security of women in the country Rajnath Singh said though his government is trying to do enough to ensure safety of women and devising new and stringent laws, still a lot needs to be done.

In the context of shameful Kathua and Unnao rapes the home minister addmitted that his party MLA and persons with criminal back grounds are do involved in criminal activities in some incidents and assured that his government will never take sides on party lines but will stringently punish them under the strictest sections of the law. But added that blam8ng the entire party for the misdeeds and mischiefs of few is also not right.

Answering queries pertaining to the efficiency of the Army and para military forces involved in fighting the Pak sponsered terror Rajnath Singh said that during the BJP led NDA’s tenure of the last four years about three hundred terrorists have been killed which unambiguously shows the high performance of the forces in combating terrorism in strife torn Kashmir.

He assured the audience that his government will in no way and under no circumstances encourage elements perpetrating violence in the name of cow vigilantism or promotion of majoritarianism when questioned by Rajat Sharma about the increasing incidents of communal hatred and minority deaths on account of food habits and vigilantism in the name of cow protection.