Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Apr 8:Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said that borders can’t be changed but softened so that people can move freely and termed it as actual freedom.
Addressing party workers at Dak Bungalow in Anantnag, Mehbooba said: “We can’t change the borders but we can open the borders and it is our Agenda of Alliance”.
The Chief Minister said that the actual freedom lies in the free movement of people across the borders. “What is Azadi? It means opening of roads through which we can reach Central Asia where from Shahi Hamdan came here and brought the art and craft to Kashmir”, she said.
Mehbooba told her workers that militancy and stone pelting is a temporary phenomenon and asked them not be afraid. “Hold your heads high. Nothing will remain, this gun will not remain. The stone pelters who are threatening you, this stone pelting and militancy will not remain for long. Only God will remain and the system which you will form. Leave the fear behind. You have seen worst of times when you were unable to come out of homes”, she said.
The Chief Minister told her workers that they are on right path as the party has not let them down. “We are on right path. We got Rs 80,000 crore as flood relief. Did Manmohan Singh visit Pakistan in 10 years? Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Pakistan but it was unfortunately followed by Pathankot attack”, she said.
Mehbooba said that ‘Sadak, Pani and Bijli’ are important but more important is restoration of peace and efforts for it. “Whenever I go to Delhi, I tell them electricity, roads and drinking water is important but more important is the peace and efforts to work for it”, she said.
The Chief Minister said that her party is sticking to its Agenda of Alliance. “On other hand, the opposition parties in the State did all kinds of alliance, they did Indra-Sheikh accord without any agenda, Rajiv-Farooq accord without any agenda and Omar-Rahul accord with no agenda. Farooq did accord with BJP in 1999 when Omar was Minister in BJP Government at Centre. Omar and Rahul had alliance where is the agenda”? she asked.
She blamed NC of rigging 1987 elections which led to militancy in the State. “Show me the agenda of alliance between Congress and NC. “NC did alliance with Congress for their down benefits as they thought Congress had become a force in the State. And when a new party was formed in 1987, they rigged elections and forced Salahudin to go to Pakistan”, she said.
Mehbooba said that PDP-BJP Agenda of Alliance wants to bring Jammu and Kashmir out of morass. “As compared to it, PDP has Agenda of Alliance with BJP when it formed Government and it is for bringing out Jammu and Kashmir from morass”, she said.
She said that the talks are only way forward and her party has always been striving for it. “The talks are the only way forward whether it is with the people of Jammu and Kashmir or Pakistan. And in the same way when we formed Government with Congress, we had an agenda under which we revoked POTA and abolished Task Force. We had said that talks should be held and BJP’s LK Advani held talks here and relations with Pakistan were also normalized. And today when we have an alliance with BJP there is an agenda and there is no change in our agenda, and we stick to it. Especially on Article 370 and we said there will be status quo on this and it will remain as it is. We are for talks and opening of more roads. What was the agenda of adversaries, expect power”, she said.
Mehbooba said that her Government is committed to the development of the State and creating job avenues. “And we are committed for development of the State and taking out people from the morass and create new avenues of employment for the people of the State”, she said.
She added that when Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was Chief Minister in 2002, the Centre held talks with separatists and Pakistan but Congress at Centre didn’t take it forward. “When we formed government with Congress, we got Rs 24,000 crore package and Mufti Sahib made LK Advani to talk to separatists here and Vajpayee Ji went to Pakistan. It led to peace in Kashmir and normalization of relations with Pakistan. Where Mufti Sahib left and did they take it forward”?, she asked.
Chief Minister said that when her party came to power in 2015, militancy was on rise and youth had stones in their hands.
Mehbooba assured action against Jammu Chamber of Commerce leaders for threatening and intimidating Rohingya Muslims.”All those who will try to take law into own hands will face action,” she told reporters at Anantnag. “All those who will try to threat or intimate those (Rohingya Muslims) will face action,” she added.
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