Srinagar, Aug 15: Jammu Kashmir Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Saturday called for a shift in the government’s approach towards people who had been associated with militancy in the past, arguing that repeated summons to police stations were hindering their reintegration into society.
Bukhari said such people should instead be allowed to live a normal life and participate in public occasions, including Independence Day functions, subject to a defined period of probation.
He proposed that individuals with a past association with militancy should be placed under a five-year probation period, during which they should be allowed to rebuild their lives without being repeatedly summoned to police stations.
Bukhari as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust said they should be clearly told that any involvement in subversive activity during the probation period would invite action under law.
At the same time, Bukhari called for cases against those who complete the probation period without involvement in any unlawful or subversive activity to be withdrawn, arguing that such a policy could help bring them back into the social mainstream.
“It would have been good if they had been given a chance to celebrate and participate in the Independence Day function,” Bukhari said, referring to people who had previously been associated with militancy.
He argued that continued hardship for such individuals and their families could make it difficult to achieve lasting peace in the region.
“We must amalgamate these people into society. That will create a peaceful society. Till these people suffer, we cannot have complete happiness,” he said.
Bukhari was talking to reporters after hoisting tricolor at his party office.
He said the objective should be to prevent people with a troubled past from remaining permanently alienated from society, while retaining legal consequences for anyone who returns to subversive activities. [KNT]
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