Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Apr 3: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said that solution to all difficulties that the State is facing lies in the Agenda of Alliance, the document prepared by People’s Democratic Party and Bhartiya Janata Party before forming the Government in 2015.
Praising her late father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed during address to party workers in Shopian district of South Kashmir, Mehbooba said: “The solution of all difficulties lie in Agenda of Alliance document prepared by late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed along with Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).”
The Chief Minister said that her father worked out Agenda of Alliance with BJP to bring people out of morass. “Because he (Mufti) was the Home Minister and at the same time he had been Chief Minister of the State. He knew both (Centre and State) sides and he fully tried – by keeping national interest in mind – to bring aspirations of people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh together with respect to get people of the J-K out of this morass”.
Mehbooba reiterated her stand of need for dialogue for the resolution of the issues. “Democracy is the battle of ideas. Any problem, be that small or bigger one like we have in Jammu and Kashmir, its solution lies only in talks and dialogue,” she said.
“And, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself yesterday mentioned Vajpayee, saying people like him because he during his tenure he looked for Kashmir solution within the ambit of ‘Insaniyat’or humanity,” the Chief Minister said, referring to Prime Minister Modi’s speech at Udhampur after inaugurating Chenani-Nashri tunnel.
Referring to past accords and talks, she said: “We have in the past also held dialogue many-a-times, we have had agreements; we’ve had Shimla Agreement and prior to that Tashkent Agreement and after that Lahore declaration.”
Mehbooba said that internally, there was Indira-Abdullah accord, Rajiv-Farooq Accord and also talks were held like with Hurriyat during the time of LK Advani when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was country’s Prime Minister.
The Chief Minister said she is glad that her brother Tassaduq Hussain Mufti, who is also Anantnag constituency candidate for upcoming Lok Sabha by-polls, has started engaging the youth.
Mehbooba said that there is restlessness among the youth of Kashmir but added that this isn’t creation of her Government. “The biggest challenge that my Government faces is the youth – their unemployment and the biggest of all the restlessness in their minds. We did not create this in the last one or two years, this restlessness has been there for many years now,” she said.
The Chief Minister said things won’t become better until and unless Army and security forces show restraint (during encounters when they are pelted with stones). She, however, said the security forces are showing restraint but was quick to add: “We have to focus on our children because they are in pain, in mental chaos and I think there is a need to engage them and understand their problems.”
The PDP president exuded confidence that with the construction of the ambitious tunnel on the Mughal Road Shopian and adjoining areas would become hubs of economic activity and social connectivity.
She said ever since the Mughal Road was constructed during the Party’s previous regime, it brought Shopian into limelight as a point of interface between Kashmir and Jammu regions in terms of people’s movement and trade.
“Now with the construction of a tunnel on the road, Mughal Road would become an alternative all weather road connectivity between the two regions of the State. Shopian being the connecting spot for the two regions would get all the more attention in terms of boost in economic activity and social interactions”, the Chief Minister said.
Mehbooba said Shopian being the producer of some quality strains of Apples would have greater market accessibility for selling its produce once the tunnel on Mughal Road is completed. She said already an independent Tourist Development Authority for Shopian has been constituted and once the tunnel becomes through would give a big push to the tourist circuit in the region comprising Dubjan, Hirpora, Peer ki Gali and other tourist spots in the area.
The Chief Minister said many other major projects like Bijbehara- Shopian road and Kandi Shopian-Mughal Road have been conceived for the development of the Shopian district which would give the area better connectivity besides pacing up its economic activities.
Party’s candidate for Anantnag Parliamentary constituency, Mufti Tassaduq Hussain, in his address, advocated the need for active engagement with the youth of the Valley. He said unfortunately the local youth have been caught in a maze of despondency and desolation which, he said, ought to be removed by addressing their pain and sufferings. He said tourism and cottage industries in the State need to be reoriented lest the unique nature of these sectors is lost in the mad rush of commercialization.
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