Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Monday that Kashmir had gone through worse days in the past and hoped that the situation will improve soon. Mehbooba was talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the civil secretariat reopening on Monday at Srinagar, the summer capital of the state.

She said the unrest in the Valley was not as serious as it was being presented by the media, adding J-K had seen worse days in 1990s when terrorism was at its peak, but the situation improved thereafter.

She urged the media not to “exaggerate” the happenings in the Valley and also not hold debates on TV that generate hatred against the people of the state.

“Every Kashmiri in not a stone-pelter or indulging in agitation and as such the media should work in a responsible manner," she said.

Mehbooba said that everyone is concerned about the situation in the state but "we should keep in mind that it is not for the first time that we are passing through such situation".

The chief minister said Jammu and Kashmir has gone through such situations many times since 1947 and "we are again at the crossroads".

"In 1950s, the plebiscite movement paralysed normal functioning and in between there were many occasions when the state passed through turmoil but things normalised again. The situation again turned grim when militancy came to the state in 1990," she said.

Earlier, Mehbooba was presented a guard of honour by the state police when she arrived at the secretariat.

Tight security arrangements were made in the city in view of the recent terror attacks.

The secretariat had closed in Jammu last week for the bi-annual “durbar move” to Srinagar, a practice that was started by the Dogra rulers in 1872. As many as 50 offices have moved in full while as many have partially shifted to Srinagar.

Keeping in view the violent protests by students, the authorities are keeping their fingers crossed as last year also, the offices in Srinagar worked for a couple of days during the six-month stay there because of the unrest following the killing of a local militant, Burhan Wani, in an encounter on July 8.

The Valley had remained under curfew for most of the time and there was hardly any official work in the secretariat and other government offices.