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Adil Lateef
SRINAGAR, May 14: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today asked people of Kashmir to choose between peace and violence, saying due to deterioration of situation in Valley, the Government’s focus shifts towards maintaining law and order, leaving other issues of the State behind.
Speaking to reporters during her maiden visit to Anantnag Assembly constituency after winning last year’s by-poll, the Chief Minister said people of Kashmir are fundamentally peace-loving but they need to decide what they want. “The people here need to decide. When Kashmir is talked in whole world, ‘Kashmiriyat’ is mentioned with it. Whom we call ‘Kashmiriyat’? Brotherhood,” she said when asked about recent statement of militant commander Zakir Musa wherein he talked of Islamic struggle in Kashmir.
Referring to the secularism and co-existence, Mehbooba said that people of different faiths including Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians are living together from decades in Kashmir. “Here we have temple, mosque (at same places). Similarly our Sufi culture is our legacy. We won’t allow it to go,” she said.
Mehbooba said people of Kashmir should decide between violence and peace. “Rest people here need to think what they want, how they want. (They should think) by pelting stones, by killing bright children like Lt Ummer Fayaz or a small employee in bank or youth working in police, who work hard for earning livelihood, or (they want to achieve) by resorting to bank loot, weapon loot, aren’t we God forbid strangulating Kashmiriyat,” she said, adding that the decision is to be taken by people here.
However, the Chief Minister said that she is hopeful that Kashmiri people here will stick to brotherhood. “They won’t forget the teaching of ‘Kashmiriyat’ of co-existing with every religion,” she said. Mehbooba while responding to a question said due to bad situation, her Government is unable to focus on key issues like development and corruption.
“I agree with you that corruption is a big issue. My and my Ministers’ honesty is not enough till the honesty doesn’t reach bottom level. Unfortunately when situation deteriorates, all our attention shifts towards maintaining law and order,” she said, adding: “All other issues – like of development, corruption – somewhere remain behind.” Mehbooba said her destiny is to earn honesty like her father did in his life.
“We are now seeing the situation is improving and corruption – as you know that Mufti sahib in whole life has only earned honesty – and my destiny is also same. Thanks to Allah that our Ministers, our people and workers on bottom level are treading the path of Mufti sahib. He (her worker) is poor and marred by poverty but doesn’t resort to dishonesty,” she said.
When asked about the ongoing student unrest in Kashmir, the Chief Minister said the children should not meddle in big issues and instead leave them to their elders for redressel. “They all are our children whether they study in schools or not. I think our children are intelligent and I have said it time and again that wherever our children go whether in sports or education or KAS and IAS examinations or out of the country, they excel.
“But unfortunately, I think someone has cast an evil eye on their intelligence, on the people of Jammu and Kashmir and this beautiful Valley. I feel that the children should study and the big issues should be addressed by the elders. The job of the children is to study, play, smile and laugh as the childhood does not come back,” she said.
Mehbooba appealed to the parents and teachers to understand the problem of their children and make them understand so that they stay away from streets and focus on education. “In our times, we used to have a close relationship with our teachers which has been lost somewhere. I request the teachers to adopt the children, understand their problems and make them understand and help them pass their time in school, apart from studies, in other activities like sports and other things which the children want to learn in the rest of the world,” she said.
On her visit to Anantnag constituency, the Chief Minister said the situation got bad after she won the elections last year and as result she did not get an opportunity to visit her constituency and thank the people for making her victorious. “So, today I got time and there was a bit of improvement in the situation, I came here and listened to the issues of the people and also reviewed the pace of various developmental works. Mufti always dreamt of making Anantnag as a model constituency not only in the district but in the whole of the State,” Mehbooba added.
During the visit, the Chief Minister specifically enquired from the people about the supply and availability of drinking water, electricity, irrigation and medical facilities in their areas. She also sought appraisal of these facilities from the concerned officers and directed regular, uninterrupted and stable availability of the same to them.
The Chief Minister inspected the ongoing works at the Anantnag Medical College and reviewed the progress achieved so far. The Medical College, with an intake capacity of 100 students, is coming up at Dialgam at a cost of Rs. 139 crore and is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
Mehbooba visited sites of various blocks of the college, including hostels and labs. She directed pacing up of construction works and their early completion.
The Chief Minister visited Takia Behram Shah and took stock of the pace of work on the steel girder bridge coming up at the local nallah. The 300 metre bridge would be completed at a cost of Rs. 1.10 crore and is expected to be completed by the year end.
Mehbooba visited works completed so far and directed early completion of the bridge so that people living on the two sides of the stream get easy connectivity.
The Chief Minister also visited the under construction bridge at Pushwara and directed its immediate operationalization.
Many deputations met the Chief Minister at Pushwara and demanded uninterrupted power supply in their areas and protection measures to be taken for the people living on the two sides of the local nallah. They also demanded earmarking a stretch of land at Boni Naar for developing as a playfield.
Mehbooba also visited the Anantnag by-pass road and enquired about the pace of work on it. She travelled the entire stretch of the by-pass and directed its immediate macadamization.
The Chief Minister visited Bangidara and inspected the pace of work on Rs. 1.82 crore bridge being constructed there. She directed immediate completion of the bridge for the convenience of the local people. She was informed that the bridge would be completed by March next year.
Mehbooba visited Ranbirpora and took stock of the various developmental works there, including the ongoing macadamization of road from Ranbirpora to Rampura.
Later, Mehbooba visited village Chee and took stock of the progress achieved on the construction of a bridge there. The trussed steel girder bridge would be built at a cost of Rs. 3.54 crore and is expected to be completed by early next year.
Mehbooba Mufti also visited Sher Bagh and paid obeisance at the shrine of revered saint Hazrat Baba Hyder Reshi(R.A.), popularly known as Reshi Moul Sb. She prayed for peace, development and prosperity in the State.
The Chief Minister interacted with the devotees at the shrine and also with the managing committee members. She directed district administration for undertaking renovation works at the shrine and the adjacent mosque besides improving facilities for the devotees as well.
Former Deputy Speaker of Legislative Assembly, Mohammad Sartaj Madni; Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, Dr Syed Aabid Rasheed, Chief Engineers of PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control, PDD, UEED and other senior officer accompanied the Chief Minister during the visit.
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