People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said the graph of militancy witnessed a sharp rise during the BJP rule in Jammu and Kashmir and pledged to fight for the return of all “rights snatched from people of J&K”.
“The government is following an iron fist policy. Whoever speaks against them is being pushed to jail. Its high-handedness is forcing the youth in Kashmir to prefer guns over going to jail forcibly. In fact, militancy witnessed a rise during the BJP rule”, Ms. Mufti said at a press conference in Jammu.
Describing J&K’s special status “an essential to all people, irrespective of their religious background”, she said, “Article 370 and other provisions of special status were meant not just for Muslims of Kashmir but for the entire Jammu and Kashmir too. They were indeed brought by the Maharaja regime to save the Dogra culture."
ADVERTISEMENT
The BJP would have to return “everything snatched from us on August 5, 2019”, she stated.
She asked the Centre to learn from the foreign policy adopted by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on restoration of normality on borders with Pakistan.
“I reiterate the slogan of late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for opening more and more border routes on India-Pakistan borders”, she said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Flag controversy
In an oblique reference to the flag controversy raked by her remarks, Ms. Mufti said, “The late Mufti upheld the national flag in J&K at a time when he was socially boycotted. We are the people, especially in the Kashmir Valley, who upheld the Tricolour high over the years at the cost of thousands of our workers who were martyred”.
She said all parties in J&K, including the BJP members, would take an oath (in the Assembly) and show faith in the Constitution of J&K. “I have taken an oath of the J&K Constitution when I became the MLA for the first time and I affirm my faith to the Constitution of J&K and uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, both of which are interlinked. The J&K flag and the Indian flag, I will hold both together,” she asserted.
The people in Nagaland had recently said they do not accept the flag of this country and the Constitution. “Why those wearing half pants did not take out protest marches against them”, she asked.
Farooq on council polls
Meanwhile, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, National Conference (NC) president and chairman of the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, has said the parties will contest the coming District Development Council (DDC) polls together but would use their own party symbols.
“There will be only one candidate of the alliance in each segment. But contestants will use their own party flags. The DDC polls were announced in a hurry. We do not have a common symbol [as of now]”, he stated.
He claimed that the Congress would also field candidates jointly with the alliance partners in the polls, starting from November 20 in all the 20 districts of J&K.
Ms. Mufti said the modalities for distribution of ticket for the DDC polls under the PAGD banner “are yet to be finalised”.