Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Jan 8: Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, today said that the Agenda of Alliance between her party and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is the only solution for resolving issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a gathering on the occasion of release of special English and Urdu numbers of Sheeraza on the vision and contribution of late Mufti Sayeed by the J&K Academy of Art, Culture & Languages (JKAACL) here today, Mehbooba said: “He (Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) had full confidence that the Agenda of Alliance which talks about AFSPA, retrieving of land, power projects and dialogue is the only solution to Jammu and Kashmir and that there is no other option.”
She said that there is no way out other than the implementation of the Agenda of Alliance. “Today, we are sure that there is no other solution. How long will we fight with each other? How long will we kill a Kashmiri? How long will our kids bear the brunt of this trouble? There is no other way and if not today, the tomorrow, it has to happen (implementation of Agenda of Alliance)”, she said.
Mehbooba said that her father had dream to bring out Jammu and Kashmir from uncertainty. “My father’s conviction was so honest and truthful that I am sure that my team will realize his dreams. He had only one dream which was to take J-K out of this uncertainty”, she said.
The Chief Minister said that her father’s aim was to benefit the people. “When Sayeed completed his MA LLB, he did not take a job but flag of an Indian mainstream political party in his hands. It was not an easy task. His decisions will always take the difficult course, but the aim was to benefit people”, she added.
The PDP chief said that her father believed in Indian democracy and wanted it to flourish in Kashmir. “He would always say that people of Kashmir have suffered a great deal. He believed in true democracy. He saw democracy in India and his wish was to see that example of democracy in Kashmir. He gave his whole life for helping the democracy flourish in the state”, she said.
Mehbooba said that democracy didn’t flourish in Pakistan. “I think Pakistan’s weakness was that democracy did not flourish there. Had democracy flourished there, then that country would have perhaps gone much forward. But the democracy in this country, it was in Sayeed’s heart and he wanted democracy in J-K”, she said.
The Chief Minister said that her father wanted issues to be settled through dialogue. “In a democracy, every issue is settled through dialogue. Sayeed was a man, a messenger of peace. He did not like confrontation”, she said.
“In hospital, when I told him that Modi went to Lahore, Sayeed told me that Modi has the mandate of people. He has guts to do something. But unfortunately Pathankot happened”, she said.
Mehbooba said that her father wanted to change mindset of people in Kashmir and New Delhi. “Sayeed would tread that path which would lead to taking the people of Kashmir out of this morass. He wanted to change the mindset of the people here as well as in Delhi”, she said.
The Chief Minister said that her father allied with BJP for carrying forward Vajpayee’s agenda. “When he decided to ally with BJP, it was a difficult decision. Someone who knew that his health was not good, he would take an easy path to become a Chief Minister and not take such a difficult decision. But it was his conviction that to take J-K out of the morass, we need someone in the country who has power and on the basis of that power take forward Vajpayee’s agenda”, she added.
Mehbooba said the biggest contribution of her father to the polity of the State was to develop an alternative narrative on and in Jammu and Kashmir so that the voices of dissent are heard and respected.
The Chief Minister said the late leader worked tirelessly so that the real democracy takes roots in the State and people are genuinely heard. She said late Mufti Sayeed wanted the stereotypes about Jammu and Kashmir to be changed so that the State evolves not as a flashpoint of conflict but as a point of mutual amity and friendship between India and Pakistan.
Mehbooba said public service was paramount to the late leader in his life and he even went against the tide at many a times to get the people of the State heard.
She said the late leader would often say that the ideas cannot be caged but contested with more ideas and arguments to drive home the point. “He wanted the minds to be changed in the country so that the people of the State are taken out of their situational misfortunes”, she said.
Chief Minister said fulfilling the vision of late Mufti Sayeed to make Jammu and Kashmir an island of peace, cooperation and mutual friendship would be the fundamental duty of her Government so that the State emerges as a best model of governance and political reconciliation. “That, she said, would be the biggest tribute to him.”
On the occasion, Governor N N Vohra paid rich tributes to the former Chief Minister saying that he was one of the exceptional farsighted leaders in the country who was focused on securing the future of his people in the best possible way.
Terming Mufti as a highly secular and visionary politician, the Governor said that despite having a dissenting point of view on any issue, he was always on the same page when it came to the stability, development and welfare of Jammu and Kashmir and its people. He said Mufti deserved admiration for his conviction when it came to accomplishing developmental projects in the state on time. He said that Sayeed was always working and finding ways to innovate and bring something new in the developmental arena in tune with the latest world trends.
The Governor said that Mufti’s policies and vision was focused on ways to develop the State on every front within the shortest possible time. Recounting number of his pro-people policies, the Governor said that sectors like Education, Tourism and Horticulture were close to Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s heart.
Vohra said it was the vision of late Chief Minister to turn the State’s Horticulture sector into a game-changer with special focus on introduction of High Density Fruit Plantation in the state. “He (Mufti Sayeed) used to say that high density fruit plants will change the fortunes of the state and its people in a big way and increase the horticulture income from present Rs 7000-8000 crore to Rs 25000-30000 crores,” the Governor said adding that Mufti Sayeed’s belief was that innovation in horticulture sector will bring prosperity to the nook and corner of the state.
The Governor said that Mufti used to say that the second biggest change will come once Srinagar-Jammu rail link will be completed. He said that farmers won’t be under pressure to sell their produce at cheap rate and instead send it through railways from Baramulla to markets like Kolkata, Delhi etc within the shortest possible time at highest rate. He said that together with establishment of cold storage facilities, the horticulture sector will usher the state into a new era of development as envisioned by the late Sayeed.
Vohra said that finishing all these and other developmental projects in shortest possible time will be best tribute to Late Mufti.
Minister for Finance and Culture, Dr Haseeb A Drabu; Minister for Social Welfare, Sajjad Ghani Lone; Minister for Education, Naeem Akhtar; Member Parliament and former Deputy Chief Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Baig and Vice Chancellor, Central University of Kashmir, Professor Mehraj ud Din also addressed the function and shared their experiences with the late leader.
Rubaya Sayeed breaks down
Rubaya Sayeed, the daughter of former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and sister of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today broke down as she started her speech at a function on the occasion of release of special English and Urdu numbers of Sheeraza on the vision and contribution of Mufti by the J&K Academy of Art, Culture & Languages (JKAACL) here at SKICC.
As Rubaya Sayeed started her speech she broke down
Rubaya Sayeed breaks down
saying that the family has lost the shade of the Chinar tree. While weeping she said: “He was like a Chinar who provided us shade, now we have no shade of that Chinar.”
Rubaya could not continue her speech and left the podium in tears. This is second time that any member of Mufti family besides Mehbooba made appearance at any function. Yesterday, the lone son of late Mufti, Tasaduq Mufti joined PDP on the occasion of death anniversary of his father.
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