Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Ghulam Nabi Azad on October 30
appealed to local militants to lay down arms and join the national mainstream but
said foreign mercenaries should not hope for any mercy from the new People's
Democratic Party (PDP)-Congress government in the state.
"I appeal to the local militants, who have taken to arms because of unemployment or
of sheer misunderstanding, to lay down their arms and join the national mainstream,"
he said.
Addressing a large gathering, he urged local militants to use their skills in re-
building the state ravaged by over a decade of militancy.
He appealed to the local militants to follow the example of misguided youths of
Mizoram and Punjab and not spoil their life wandering in forests and
hills.
Issuing a stern warning to foreign mercenaries, the PCC president, flanked by senior
party leaders, said the new government will show no leniency to outsiders "who have
come here to massacre our brother and sisters".
PTI
