Use of army against protestors will aggravate problem: PDP

Opposition People's Democratic Party today said any use of army against protesters to contain the unrest in Kashmir valley would be an "offensive act" and could aggravate the problem.

"The government threat to use army against protesters is an extremely offensive act which was not likely to help defuse the situation. It would be a remedy worse than the problem and is no option in the changed scenario", PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said.

She said at a time when discussions of withdrawal of troops from civilian areas and revoking of AFSPA were going on, the government's statement "sounds outrightly sinister and motivated".

State minister and Congress leader Taj Mohiuddin had yesterday said that the help of Army could be taken to defuse the tense situation in Sopore and Baramulla if the circumstances warranted.

Hitting out at home secretary GK Pillai for his remark that people who break curfew and attack police posts cannot be termed as innocent civilians, she said, "Lack of appreciation of ground realities in the state was obvious from his observations. The people of the state have been forced to come to the streets by the inept and insensitive government foisted on them."