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Leader of the opposition and People's Democratic Party, Mehbooba Mufti, has accused the central government and the Jammu and Kashmir government of using the youth of Kashmir as scapegoats to cover up militant attacks.
Addressing a PDP rally in Doda, Mufti said, "In 2008, about 60 percent people had voted. They had given a signal that militancy is ending and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is improving."
"But instead of improvement, what we saw last year was 120 young people being killed. And the chief minister of the state called them as Lashkar-e-Tayiba militants, or as paid agents sponsored by Pakistan," she added.
"So, when our own government creates this kind of impression about our youth in front of the nation, then naturally the agencies in Delhi need a scapegoat to put the blame on. They can pick up anybody because they know that the government in Kashmir forwards the federal government policy," she said.
Mufti appealed to the prime minister to step in and look into the matter himself to avoid any misunderstanding or cover up.
"I sincerely hope, as well as appeal to the prime minster, to look into the matter himself as to whether these minors have any link with that email (email sent after Delhi blast), or are they being deliberately made as scapegoats to divert attention," she added.