Kashmir unrest: NSA cuts short Africa visit

With unrest continuing in Kashmir, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval returned home on Monday, cutting short his visit to Kenya where he was with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed confidence that solutions would be found to the situation in the Valley.

Doval, who has been sent home 24 hours early by the prime minister in view of the situation in Kashmir, is regularly taking stock of the developments in the valley with officials.

“If there are problems, there are solutions. We are quite confident and competent of finding solutions,” he said when asked to comment on the situation in Kashmir.

Doval was accompanying the PM on his four-nation tour of African countries -- Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya. They were to return home on Tuesday but the NSA came early.

The NSA did not elaborate but official sources expressed confidence the situation would be under control in 72 hours.

“People of Kashmir are law-abiding and solidly against terrorism. They believe in peace, prosperity and development,” said a government official.

At the same time, government sources asserted that those holding the gun and targeting civilians or security forces would be dealt with sternly.

Kashmir has been on the boil ever since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, who was the poster boy militant, on Friday last in an encounter with security forces in Anantnag.