Alternative to pellet guns in few days: Rajnath

From Sumir Kaul Srinagar, Aug 25 (PTI) As the unrest in Jammu and Kashmirentered the 48th day, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh todaysaid an alternative to pellet guns will be proposed within afew days in the wake of widespread criticism of the crowd-control device that has left thousands of people in theValley injured. Declaring there is no future for India without Kashmir,Singh again invoked Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s policy of’Kashmiriyat, Insaniyat and Jamhooriyat’ (Kashmir’spluralist ethos, humanity and democracy) to signal that theNDA government was ready for dialogue with anyone. "We want to shape future of India. If future of Kashmir isnot shaped, future of India cannot be shaped too," Singh, withChief Minister Mehbooba Mufti by his side, told reporters onthe second day of his visit to Kashmir–his second in onemonth–as part of Centre’s outreach to people of Kashmir. Singh said an expert committee set up by the Union HomeMinistry and mandated to look for an alternative to pelletguns is expected to give its report in two-three days. Replying to a question on use of pellet guns againstviolent protesters, the Home Minister said as promised duringhis last visit to Kashmir Valley, he has constituted an expertcommittee which would submit its report within two months. "It is just one month and report of that committee willcome within two-three days. Within few days, we will give analternative to pellet guns. "In 2010, it was said pellet gun is a non lethal weaponwhich can cause least damage but now we feel that there shouldbe some alternate to this," he said.(MORE) PTI SKL ABS ACB GSNGSN