Srinagar, September 27
Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today offered DNA profiling to unravel the mystery of the unmarked graves in the state. In a spirited reply to the discussion in the Assembly, he called upon relatives of “missing persons” to come forward with samples and relevant information.

The Chief Minister pointed out that militants from 12 foreign countries, including Russia, Chechnya, Sudan, Pakistan, Britain and Afghanistan were also killed in encounters during the past two decades of militancy in the state, and their graves do exist.

Strongly reacting to the disinformation campaign about so-called ‘mass graves’, the CM claimed that there were only a handful of graves with two bodies in each of them.

“There are reports in the media about 2,500 unmarked graves in Poonch. But the official information is that there are 2,136 graves in Poonch of which 2,090 have foreign militants buried in them,” he added.

He maintained that a large number of people deemed to be ‘missing’ were actually leading normal lives across the border, “where they have married and are engaged in various economic activities”.

Besides Sikhs and Kashmiri Pandits, a large number of Kashmiri Muslims had also been killed and buried by militants, he said and drew the attention of the House to massacres and political killings.

“My party has also suffered greatly and we also want answers,” he asserted.

“A Hizbul Majahideen Pir Panjal Range Commander, who surrendered recently, took us to a place where two teachers, missing for the last six years, were killed and buried by the militants.

The Rehabilitation Policy, the CM said, was aimed at helping the return of people who had crossed the LoC and are living normal lives there. “But our neighbour will not open the gates for them to return with wives and children because it wished them to carry guns. “However, we have received around 900 applications for rehabilitation and 100 of which have been approved so far”.