The Albany Gazette - Mehbooba Mufti urges dialogue and renewed Central Asia links for Kashmir

Srinagar: Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti on Monday stated that the region is the land of saints and sufis and it's people are the crown of India and any tinkering with it will destroy the whole country. Mufti, while addressing the worker's convention here in Srinagar also blamed the ruling National Conference for the 'mistrust' between the central government and J&K as they frequently shifted its political stand.

Also read | Bihar JDU chief raises concerns after two independent MLCs join BJP "People of J&K are crown of India. This is the land of Sufis and Saints and if you tamper, harm or tinker with this in anyway, I warn you that you will be destroyed," said Mufti, quoting a part of the couplet of Allama Iqbal. While Mufti, called for dialogue with Pakistan and opening of roads linking J&K and Ladakh to central Asia she mainly focussed on a targetted attack on the NC.

Mufti asserted that the NC has harmed the interests of J&K, stating that peace will remain elusive as long as this party is in power. "NC is the real traitor in J&K. Farooq Abdullah invoked Pakistan in Kashmir and in Delhi stated that we were all Indians till the last drop the blood. This is how they have decieved people and are single handedly responsible for our situation," said Mufti. She stated that Farooq Abdullah dogwhistled Kashmiris by claiming that Pakistan was protecting Kashmir. "This is his (Farooq Abdullah's) signal (to Delhi) that Kashmiris are with Pakistan," she claimed.

Also read | Rahul Gandhi locks horns with PM Modi over 'foreign help' "Who is responsible for this atmosphere of suspicion? 79 years ago, India became independent and 79 years ago, J&K acceded to India. That accession was signed by (NC founder) Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. Despite J&K being a Muslim-majority state, he chose to align with India," said Mufti.

The former chief minister claimed that within a few years of this accession, the NC altered its narrative and began demanding a plebiscite. "You (NC) created this confusion and doubt in the minds of the people. For 22 years, you called for a plebiscite in Pakistan, and then overnight (in 1975) you accepted the chair again," she said, referring to the Indira-Sheikh Accord that put the NC founder in the chief minister's chair although his party did not have any MLAs.

Mufti claimed that Sheikh Abdullah agreed to become chief minister out of a desire for power. "When you became chief minister instead of prime minister, you told people to forget the plebiscite because you needed the power. The leaders of India, be it Jawaharlal Nehru or Dr B R Ambedkar, had given us a special status and constitution, but doubt was planted in their minds not just about leaders, but about every single Kashmiri," she added.

The PDP president also addressed her party workers, urging them not to feel ashamed of their alliance with the BJP in 2014 for government formation. "When they (NC) tell you about the BJP alliance, remind them that it was their leader who brought suffering upon the people through his oscillating stand on Kashmir," she added.

The PDP chief argued that the Kashmir issue cannot be resolved through forceful measures but rather through dialogue. "Kashmir cannot be resolved by using the UAPA, PSA or dismissing employees from service. It can be resolved through dialogue and by opening traditional trade routes to Kashgar, Khotan and Yarkand, similar to the arrangements made in Lipulekh, Uttarakhand. This policy of using force will not work. How long do you think you can maintain this approach? How long can you silence the people here?" she questioned.

The PDP chief observed that the people of J&K have endured repression through the use of force for the past seven years. "The rest of the country experienced a glimpse of what we have been facing on July 22 and October 12. They could not endure it for even one day, while we have endured it for seven years," she added.

(W.Walker--TAG)