Hope Geelani will cooperate: Omar Abdullah

Srinagar : Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said separatists, including Hurriyat chief Syed Ali Geelani, should not target children for attending schools in the Valley.

Nearly after 100 days of shutdown, educational institutions in Kashmir are being reopened on Monday following a state government’s directive to school authorities on Sunday as curfew has been lifted from most of the areas of the Valley.

?It is nobody’s victory or loss. There has been mixed response to our initiative. We hope Geelani and other separatists will not target children for going to schools. We request them to cooperate with us and keep education and children out of the purview of any conflict,? Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a government function here.

He further said the media should not ?hype? the reopening of schools in the Valley.

?I request the media not to create a hype on reopening of schools for the sake of children?s safety,? the J&K CM said.

In New Delhi, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said the people of Kashmir Valley has ?happily? disregarded hardline faction of the separatist Hurriyat Conference?s call to stay away from educational institutions.

?Government is happy to learn that most schools and colleges have reopened in Jammu and Kashmir and most students have gone back to school/college today. There was a call by one of the Hurriyat leaders to parents asking them not to send their children to school/college. Happily, parents have disregarded that call and sent their children to schools/colleges,? PC said in a statement.

The Minister, however, said there were a few minor incidents of stone-pelting on school buses at Habak, Bemina and Nowgam.

?How can any right thinking person pelt stones on school buses? I hope that such mischief will stop immediately. Anyone who has the interest of the children at heart cannot indulge intone-pelting; nor should anyone support such mischievous attempts to interfere with the functioning of schools and colleges,? the Home Minister said.

?I am confident that the few schools and colleges that remain closed today, presumably out of caution, will reopen tomorrow. I am also confident that the attendance will improve significantly tomorrow.

?The Government of J&K has assured us that every effort is being made to ensure that all schools and colleges reopen and function normally and that security will be provided to enable the students to attend schools and colleges.?

Chidambaram further said: ?I appeal to all sections of the people of J&K, especially parents, to cooperate with the State Government and ensure that all schools and colleges function normally.?

The Omar Abdullah’s government’s move to reopen the schools came following the Union Government’s eight-point peace package for the Kashmir Valley.

Transports are being provided to teachers and students on 11 important routes in Srinagar.

School uniforms will be treated as identity proof and school buses will be allowed passage in curfew.

Examinations for Class 10 and Class 12 are to start in the last week of October and first week of November respectively.

The administration has advised parents to call the police station concerned in case they need help in sending their wards to schools on Monday onwards.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has appealed to all Kashmiris, particularly the separatists, to rise above their stated positions and ideologies and join hands to secure the future of Kashmir’s children, held hostage to violence.

Educational institutions remained closed for the past three months in the Valley due to shutdowns called by separatists and weeks of intermittent curfew.

A number of parents have moved their children to other parts of the country for their education and future.

?Though education is important, the government can?t use our children to suppress the agitation,?? said Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

The J & K government on Sunday lifted curfew after two weeks of strict restrictions and declared schools and educational institutions opened from Monday.

Life was normal in Srinagar, Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian and Awantipora as people stepped out to buy rations. However, curfew on Srinagar-Baramulla road continued.

The local administration said though the news of reopening of schools was coming from some areas, but exact figure such institutes was yet to be confirmed.