Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, June 17: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said that dialogue is the only way out for resolution of Kashmir issue while Legislative Assembly was adjourned indefinitely without taking up for discussion the bill for extending GST to the State.
Mehbooba while talking part in discussion on obituary references at the Assembly for leaders who passed away between the two sessions, said: “Dialogue has always been part of our agenda and manifesto, whether it was in 2002 or today. Several wars have been fought but the issue has not been resolved. You cannot resolve issues with guns or armies. We have to unite to get this done. Our people are dying, the life along the borders is disturbed and poor people from both sides are dying,”
Taking a dig at National Conference, the Chief Minister said whatever happened in the past should not come in the way of efforts for resolving Kashmir through talks. “Those who used to talk about drowning separatists in Jhelum and killing all the militants when the then Prime Minister A B Vajpayee talked about Ramzan ceasefire, are today calling for dialogue. It means things are changing slowly,” she said.
Mehbooba, however, hinted that Pakistan is not reciprocating the gestures made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “(Former Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh wanted to visit his hometown in Pakistan but could not do so. Modi went to Pakistan but then Pathankot happened,” she said.
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The Chief Minister said while India is surging ahead of its neighboring countries due to democracy, the strangulation of this very idea in Kashmir had led to the deteriorating situation in the Valley. “It is democracy which has kept this nation alive and helped the country to move ahead of its neighbouring countries. In our State, the bloodshed we are witnessing, the main reason for this is that democracy was not allowed to take roots in the State, was rejected and strangulated in the State,” she said.
The Chief Minister said it is only in a democracy like in India that people could put their divergent views out in the public domain. “Engineer Rashid is talking big here and he can do it. We won’t see it anywhere else. You won’t see it in any other democratic country. There is no tolerance for such things,” she said.
On charges leveled by the National Conference and Congress leaders in the Assembly on “unleashing State terrorism”, Mehbooba said: “Somebody was talking about state terrorism. I remember there was a time when people used to run away from encounter sites fearing being used as human shield in which some people lost their lives. That is State terrorism. If there were State terrorism today then 12 and 14 year olds would not pelt stones (at security forces) at encounter sites,” she said.
As Mehbooba finished her speech, Speaker of the Assembly, Kavinder Gupta while announcing the adjournment of the House sine die said: “During the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee, it was unanimously decided that the proceedings of assembly be adjourned indefinitely and the GST bill be taken up only after the All Party panel (on GST) submits its report.”
A special session of the State Legislature was summoned for discussing and passing the draft bill prepared by the Government that would bring Jammu and Kashmir under the ambit of GST national law.The Government earlier this week had convened an all party meeting to bring about a consensus on GST bill before taking it to the Assembly.
However, main opposition National Conference said it will oppose tooth and nail the bill in present form. The traders community of the State has also opposed extending the GST regime to Jammu and Kashmir. The lack of consensus and opposition from certain quarters led to formation of All Party panel.
Earlier, National Conference leader Mohammad Shafi Uri while initiating the proceedings on the obituary reference asked the Government to stop State terrorism and killing of innocents to pave way for dialogue for resolution of issues. “I appeal the Central and State Governments to open the doors for dialogue to end the atmosphere of State terror as it cannot solve the issues. It only complicates the issues further”, he said.
The NC leader said the State Government is imposing State terrorism in the State and words were not enough to condemn it. He said the statements coming from Central Government leaders indicated that they are trying to resolve the Kashmir situation through administrative measures which will have dangerous implications.
“I am surprised that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh says that a durable solution will be found soon to Kashmir issue. How can he do that when the doors for dialogue have been closed? Look at the world history internal resistance movements have been resolved by dialogue only. Talks have been going on with Nagas. They come from Burma, hold talks and even go back after that. Democracy demands that doors to dialogue should never be closed,” he said.
Congress leader G M Saroori lashed out at the centre and State for the incessant bloodletting and deteriorating situation in Jammu and Kashmir. “The dance of death had entered into schools and colleges. Security forces personnel are also getting killed. Pellet guns are used on students …you have no right to remain in power,” he said. “You have no dignity left that you are still in this Government which is being run by Bajrang Dal and RSS,” he said.
Saroori said that Chief Minister has lost the moral right to sit on the Chair as Government is directly run by Home Minister and Army chief. She said Government has failed as there is bloodshed everywhere.
The CPIM leader and MLA Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami asked the political parties not to do politics on the dead bodies and work for resolution of the issue through dialogue. “Gun is no solution, we have to stop the killings and work for political resolution of the issue”, he said.
The Independent MLA, Hakeem Yasin, stressed for dialogue and adoption of strategy to come out of the deteriorating situation. “We should see how to come out of this situation. We should address this issue on priority”, he said.
Noisy scenes were witnessed in the Assembly after Indpendent MLA Abdul Rashid Sheikh moved a resolution to condemn Major Leetul Gogoi for using a civilian as a human shield against stone-pelting during bypolls to Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency on April 9.
“This House resolves to condemn Major Gogoi, for using Farooq Ahmad Dar as a human shield, and all those individuals who defended it,” Rashid submitted it to Speaker Kavinder Gupta.
The MLAs suggestion for a House resolution to condemn Major Gogoi led the opposition from some BJP members. “It is a shame if you are defending a human rights violator as a law maker. How would you feel if you were tied to a jeep and paraded around for many hours? Let (Army chief) General Rawat know that every Kashmiri is not an Over Ground Worker of militants. … if speaking truth is being an OGW, I am the biggest of them all then,” Rashid said.
Earlier as the session started, the NC and Congress MLAs created ruckus in the Assembly by targeting the government on deteriorating situation in Kashmir valley. They shouted slogans against the BJP and PDP Government for its failure to stop the killings in Kashmir. The opposition MLAs also held sit in protest at the main gate of the Assembly and Civil Secretariat blocking the entry of legislators and other officials temporarily.
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