Indian Army Chief snubbed at home, asked to concentrate on his own job

Indian Army Chief snubbed at home, asked to concentrate on his own job

SRINAGAR - Indian occupied Kashmir Minister Altaf Bukhari on Saturday hit back at Army Chief General Bipin Rawat for hinting that students in the Kashmir Valley were being ''radicalised'' in the schools.

Attacking Rawat, Bukhari said the Army should concentrate on its own job and not meddle with the state's education system.

"The Army Chief is a respected officer. I do not think he is an educationist that he will give sermons on education. This being a subject on the state list, we know how to run our education system," Bukhari said.

The minister's remark came a day after Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said the students in the schools of Jammu and Kashmir were being taught two maps - one of India and the other of J&K.

"In the schools in Jammu and Kashmir, what teachers are teaching should not be taught. In schools, there can be seen two maps, one of India another of Jammu and Kashmir. Why do we need a separate map for the state? What does it teach the children?" General Rawat had said in the press conference held in New Delhi.

The minister, however, defended the presence of two maps in the classroom.

"There are two flags in the state. We have Jammu and Kashmir constitution and India's constitution as well. Every school has a state map as it is needed to teach about the state," Bukhari added.

The minister expressed displeasure, saying that everyone was trying to pass comments on the state's education sector and this was not acceptable.