Jammu & Kashmir chief-minister Mehbooba Mufti has called for talks to be held between India and its archrival and neighbor Pakistan in order to avert ‘daily deaths’ of civilians and security forces on either side of the border.

Speaking in the Legislative Assembly in Srinagar on the last day of the Assembly’s Budget session, the 58-year old PDP leader said that by mooting talks, she might even be dubbed ‘anti-national’ by some ever-eager media-houses and added that she didn’t bother about it. “I feel talks are the only way out to avoid a scenario of every-day deaths of civilians and security forces on both sides of the border,” she said.

“We have fought and won three wars with Pakistan including the Kargil War but there seems to be no end to human casualties,” she continued and said that Pakistan has been breaching ceasefire agreement at will and has been launching attacks on civilian targets along the border. Damage to human lives and properties causes uneasiness in people’s minds with infiltration of terrorists taking place at regular intervals, she said.

“I aware that there is a possibility that I might be dubbed anti-national by saying so but I strongly feel that talks (with Pakistan) are the only way out (in resolving the impasse),” Mehbooba told the Assembly.