All party-delegation faces tough questions

Home Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday faced some tough questions from Kashmiri youth who asked him whether he felt no pain when security forces fired on peaceful protestors and told him that unemployment was the major reason for unrest in the state.

Chidambaram, who is leading an all-party delegation to Jammu and Kashmir, interacted with local youth here.

"The issue of Kashmir is a genuine issue. Many leaders come here and go but do not listen to the problems of the Kashmiri youth. The Kashmiri youth are facing unemployment," a local youth told Chidambaram.

He added that though the youth wanted to progress, they were not allowed to do so.

"We want an opportunity to move ahead. You also see that we are not allowed to move ahead. When we protest, there is firing which is not the case in other states," he added.

A school had been burned down here on Eid last Saturday. Five people were killed in firing during protests.

During the interaction with Chidambaram, another young man posed him a few candid questions. He asked the home minister why even peaceful protestors were fired upon by the security forces in the valley.

"When you fire on us, don't you feel the pain? When you cut us, when you fire on Kashmiris?" he asked.

Chidambaram gave the group of youngsters a patient hearing and appeared to sympathise with them.

Earlier, the all-party delegation faced angry mobs when they visited a hospital where some of the injured were undergoing treatment.