‘Follow agenda of alliance to resolve K-issues’
*Review power projects agreement with Centre
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 2 : Alleging that BJP’s J&K police has proved utter failure, former Chief Minister and PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti today urged the Centre to follow the ‘agenda of alliance’ reached between the two parties in 2015 for a respectable solution to the problems facing J&K. She said saffron party’s Kashmir policy has failed to yield any results.
Talking to media-persons here today, Mehbooba Mufti advocated for a dialogue with the people of Jammu and Kashmir before starting talks with Pakistan, claiming that the BJP’s rigid policy has only “silenced the people” of the Union Territory where a “volcano is building” that needs to be addressed. Click here to watch video
“The developments of August 5, 2019, when Centre revoked special status of J&K under Article 370 and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two UTs, is completing sixth year. That was the day when J&K was destroyed on the pretext of improving the situation and restoring peace. People were promised rivers of milk and honey,” the former Chief Minister said.
Former Chief Minister said the strict policy adopted by the BJP, which saw thousands of youth being jailed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Public Safety Act (PSA), has “failed miserably”.
“J&K continues to be the flashpoint between India and Pakistan with clouds of war hovering over the region,” she added.
Stating that the situation in J&K has deteriorated over the years, Mehbooba said, “Earlier people used to come on the streets to express themselves, but today they are silent. A volcano is building from within.”
PDP and BJP worked out the ‘agenda of alliance’ after forming the Government in January 2015. The Government collapsed in July 2018 after the national party withdrew its support to the PDP.
“When we were in the Government, we prepared an agenda of alliance. That document is still relevant and needs to be studied for a honourable solution to J&K’s issues” she maintained.
“PDP founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had a vision for J&K and had formed a common minimum programme with the Congress when it formed the Government in alliance with the national party in J&K in 2002. After that, we worked out an agenda of alliance with the BJP and the only purpose behind it was to get J&K out of the problems it faced,” she added.
“It was not simply an agreement between the PDP and BJP, but an alliance between the people of J&K and the rest of the country. It talked about opening cross-border roads so that J&K, which was like a cage, could be opened. It was for the transfer of power projects, removal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act and other measures to bring peace, progress and prosperity,” she said.
Continuing her tirade against the BJP, she said the party’s “wrong policies” led to an increase in unemployment, criminal activities and loot of natural resources in J&K post August 5, 2019.
Mehbooba Mufti said reserving two Assembly seats for Kashmiri Pandits would have been the biggest confidence building measure for the displaced community before their return and rehabilitation in the valley.
“I believe the biggest confidence building measure for return of Kashmiri Pandits would have been reserving two Assembly seats for them in the valley instead of sending two members of the community through nomination,” Mufti said.
The PDP president said there is a need to review the agreement over power projects as “the electricity we are generating is of no benefit to us”.
“That is benefiting the rest of the country. First and foremost our State should be compensated financially for these projects and free electricity should be ensured to poor residents,” she added.
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