Militants are criminals: J

Srinagar, Jun 4 (UNI) Jammu and Kashmir Governor Lt Gen (retd) S K Sinha has expressed grief at the loss of innocent children in the boat capsize in Wullar lake on May 30 and the recent attacks on tourists, saying such incidents will not derail the ongoing peace process in the state.

''Militants who go about killing innocent people, including women and children, are not jehadis. They are outright criminals who need to be punished in this world. They will not go scot-free on the Day of Judgement,'' Gen Sinha said here.

The Governor was talking to a group of 35 Maulvis (priests) who returned here after completing 'Chetna Yatra' of the country yesterday. The tour, organised by 60 Rashtria Rifles of Budhal brigade under Operation Sadbhavana, was joined by the clerics from Udhampur, Poonch and Rajouri districts. They visited Delhi, Agra and Ajmer during the tour.

The killing of innocent people was against the tenets of Islam, he said, adding the common man was ''sick and tired'' of violence and winds of change were blowing in Kashmir.

''The recent violent incidents will not derail us from the path of prosperity. The days are not far when the situation in the state will normalise and the people will feel secure,'' the Governor said.

He said the people should not be denied their share in the prosperity of the country and called upon mobilising support against militancy and lending a helping hand to the state government in ushering a Khushal (prosperous) Jammu and Kashmir.

On the occasion, a two-minute silence was observed in memory of the children who drowned in the Wullar lake and the four tourists from Gujarat killed in recent attacks in Kashmir.

UNI AG RR RAI1816