Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed deep anguish and grief over the death of five civilians in Shopian during a security operation on Sunday.

CM Mehbooba Mufti in a tweet said, ” The loss of 5 innocent civilians in Shopian serves as a grim reminder that violence is no solution to the issues that plague us. We all must unite & pull J&K out of this endless nightmare by engaging in sustained & meaningful dialogue”.

In a statement, CM Mufti said it sounds very depressing to note that our state is losing young lives to the unending cycle of violence who could otherwise be utilized for a positive contribution to the state.

The loss of 5 innocent civilians in Shopian serves as a grim reminder that violence is no solution to the issues that plague us. We all must unite & pull J&K out of this endless nightmare by engaging in sustained & meaningful dialogue.

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 6, 2018

Mufti said today’s deaths have brought a stark fact to fore that gun, either way of a militant or that of security forces, is no solution for resolving issues.

“I have reiterated it time and again that political issues need political interventions”, Mufti said while appealing to youth that their energies, youthfulness, dreams and aspirations are far more important and sacred to the society than their dead bodies or graves.

Mufti appealed all sections of civil society, media, students, parents and other stakeholders to rise to this critical occasion, play their role and help in putting an end to this cycle of bloodshed in the state.

Mehbooba Mufti reiterated her stand that issues in Jammu and Kashmir can be resolved only through a sustained dialogue between all stakeholders.

She said the three decades long violence in the state is a testimony to the fact that guns from either side cannot ensure peace but a compassion driven reconciliation process based on mutual respect surely can.

In this regard, the CM Mufti appealed to the national leadership of the country to show the elements of compassion and empathy as required by the present day situation here and display the statesmanship to get Jammu and Kashmir out of the quagmire of killings by engaging in a meaningful dialogue in the state.

“The sooner it happens, the more we can get our State out of the vicious cycle of killings and destruction”, she added.