SRINAGAR — Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on November 27 said the BJP should restrain from behaving like raiders in Kashmir as the Valley residents successfully evicted raiders from Pakistan in 1947, as she pledged to force the Centre to return J&K’s special status.
“In 1947, people of Kashmir had no guns but they fought the raiders from Pakistan successfully. I warn the BJP not to act like raiders in Kashmir. People know how to fight such raiders,” Ms. Mufti, who addressed the party youth convention in Srinagar, said. “BJP ministers in droves visit Kashmir and click photos to project normalcy. They should instead focus on Gujarat polls and elsewhere,” she added.
Referring to the Centre’s move to end J&K’s special constitutional position in 2019, Ms. Mufti said,” I swear by Allah whatever the BJP snatched from us on August 5 will be brought back with interest. The PDP is moving ahead on the roadmap of (PDP patron) Late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and will take his mission to its logical end.”
Asking people to remain “steadfast in their struggle”, Ms. Mufti said J&K had acceded to India in 1947 and had a relation of Constitution and love that “the BJP completely destroyed”.
“A Muslim majority State in 1947, Kashmir saw no bloodshed. J&K decided to accede to Gandhi’s India that talked about communal harmony and not today’s India. However, the BJP has played with the dignity and identity of people of J&K. This will not work. We will not give up,” Ms. Mufti said.
“The J&K Assembly was the most powerful. Now, panchayats are tipped as such vital institutions but the BJP leaders themselves prefer to occupy the highest seats elsewhere. Let them limit their role to panchayats only,” she added.
She said J&K acceded to India that is again being searched for by the likes of Tushar Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
Ms. Mufti also criticised the investigating agencies’ role in Kashmir. “Our people are raided by the Enforcement Directorate, State Investigation Agency (SIA), National Investigation Agency (NIA), Special Investigation Unit (SIU) etc.” she said.
The former chief minister also expressed concern over the recent encounters in Kashmir. “On one side militants kill locals for being informers, policemen, Pandits and non-local workers but on the other our own gun (security forces) kills youth in the name of ‘hybrid’ and ‘white collar’ militants. The trend, where youth are taken to identify hideout and killed in encounters, has picked up in the recent times,” Ms. Mufti said.
She said the youth of Kashmir were facing a trend of unprecedented unemployment. “Those who try to express themselves on social media or Facebook are raided for writing a post. Our youth leader Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, who was jailed for two years, has emerged as an example of being one who did not comprise with his principles,” Ms. Mufti said. — (The Hindu)