Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said ,"Bandooke chahe militants ki ho ya humari ho, bandook se koi masla hal nahi hoga [Guns cannot resolve issues, whether they belong to the militants or us]." Addressing the public during Independence Day celebrations in Srinagar, she said, "If we can't find our solution in the world's biggest democracy, we won't find it anywhere else." She appealed to the people of the state to denounce violence, reported ANI.

The local administration stepped up security measures in the Valley after separatist leaders urged locals to observe black day on the event of the 70th anniversary of independence. Mufti said, "The fault is not with the people of Jammu and Kashmir nor is it with India... the problem has been with the country's leadership over the years." The People's Democratic Party leader said efforts made by former Bharatiya Janata Party Prime Minister AB Vajpayee to restore peace in the state were left incomplete in his tenure. However, her government hoped that the Narendra Modi regime will take up the cause.

The Valley has been on the boil since Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhani Wani was killed by security forces on July 8. More than 50 people have been killed in clashes with security personnel as locals held protests defying curfew imposed in the area over the past one month. Thousands of Kashmiris, including women and children, have sustained irreversible injuries from pellet guns used by the Central Reserve Police Force to handle mobs.