Baramulla, Oct 31: 60-year-old Aisha Begum of Sopur was desperate to meet the Home Minister P Chidambaram on Sunday. She was keenly following the hectic activity going on around the Dak Bunglow here since early morning.
Dressed in cotton fabric and wearing a plastic shoe, her reason to meet the Home Minister was not to seek any monetary benefit or a job but to brief him about the agony she has been going through during the ongoing unrest
Reason: the arrest of her two sons by police. However her hopes were dashed as the security agencies and district administration didn’t allow her to meet Chidambaram.
 “My two sons were arrested one and half month back. Though no charges were framed against them, police insisted that they will be released only after they handover their father,” said Aisha whose two sons Asiq Gani Bhat and Aftab Ahmad were arrested by Sopur police.
 Like Aisha there were several parents of stone pelters arrested by police in last few months, waiting to meet the Home Minister
 “It (meeting) is totally a futile exercise. The Home Minister should have met the parents of the kids arrested by police. It is a show managed by the district authorities and its characters are the political workers,” said Ghulam Rasool whose son has been arrested on charges of stone pelting.
 Another youth who had come all along from Srinagar too was not allowed to meet Childambaram.
“It is the youth of the valley who has suffered from current turmoil. If the doors of ministers are closed for youth then such visits can fetch nothing” said Zahid Ahmad of Srinagar.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 31 Oct 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 31 Oct 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 1 Nov 2010 00:00:00 IST