Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 3: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said today that certain elements want to disturb peaceful situation in the Kashmir valley, which was evident from unfortunate and condemnable attack on the Border Security Force (BSF) convoy at Bijbehara in which three security personnel were killed and seven others were injured.
Mehbooba expressed determination to go ahead with the proposal for rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits in separate colonies within the Valley till conducive conditions were created for their return to the villages even as she vowed to develop tourism in Jammu region in large-scale including the border tourism.
Addressing a function at Convention Centre after inaugurating it here this evening, the Chief Minister said: “I can’t understand what they (the militants and Pakistan) want to achieve by creating disturbances in Kashmir like today’s unfortunate incident of Bijbehara in which the militants killed three BSF jawans and injured seven others.
“They killed innocent school children in Pakistan. They targeted police personnel and now the BSF jawans. However, they will not achieve anything out of it’’.
Asserting that Pakistan didn’t get anything out of three wars it fought with India, Mehbooba said the gun was no solution to any problem and it was high time that militants understand this.
“The people of Kashmir have realized that gun won’t achieve anything. Nearly 50,000 to 60,000 people have been killed in the militancy during past over two and half decades including security personnel, policemen, civilians and militants. This mindless violence has brought nothing. It’s time for the militants and Pakistan to realize and stop all this,’’ she said.
Mehbooba said Pakistan has been claiming that it was sympathizer of the people of Kashmir.
Lauding the BSF jawans for exercising restraint despite suffering three fatal casualties in the militant attack, Mehbooba said there would have been another Handwara if the security forces had retaliated.
“There would have been another Handwara in Bijbehara. But the security forces exercised restraint and handled the situation,’’ she said.
It may be mentioned here that five civilians were killed in Handwara, Kupwara in retaliation by the security forces on stone pelting protesters.
Questioning Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir, she asked whether the militant attack on the BSF convoy in Bijbehara was the way to show its love for the people.
“First Pathankot airbase attack and then these type of incidents, Pakistan must think over it, if you (Pakistan) love the people of Kashmir, then this is not the way to express it,” she said.
“What did they get by killing the BSF personnel who come to do their duty in the Valley? There were civilians in the area, children, old aged, had the BSF retaliated how many civilians casualties would have taken place?”, she said.
She said that common people in Kashmir do not support such type of attacks.
“People might have supported all this post 1987 elections but they do not support it any longer”, she said.
Mehbooba said that Pakistan should think over this as such type of incidents won’t give anything to it and the common people were bearing the brunt.
“Not only people get killed but the economy also suffers. My father Mufti Mohammed Sayeed toiled to bring tourists to Kashmir but such type of attacks also deter tourists from visiting the Valley,” she said.
Targeting the separatists for opposing the setting up of colonies for retired soldiers and Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley, she said that even when her Government has made it clear that no Sainik colony would come up in Kashmir, separatists were giving strike calls.
Asserting that no Colony, without naming Sainik Colony, is being made in Kashmir, the Chief Minister, however, declared the plan for rehabilitation of Kashmir Pandit migrants in separate colonies.
“If the workers of PDP, BJP, National Conference and Congress have to live in hotels with their PSOs in the Kashmir valley, how the Kashmiri Pandits, on their return, can live in the villages’’?, she asked and said the Government proposed to take the Kashmiri Pandits back to the Valley by constructing colonies for them.
“The Government has to make the colonies for the Kashmiri Pandits. They will live together,’’ she said.
Promising to promote tourism in Jammu in a big way, Mehbooba said it was dream of her late father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to make Jammu an independent tourism destination and the Government was committed to that.
She promised development of border tourism at Suchetgarh, heritage site of Mubarak Mandi and other projects. She said Bagh-i-Bahu ropeway project will be completed within two years.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued here the Chief Minister strongly condemned the militant attack on a BSF vehicle in Bijbehara area of district Anantnag in which three security forces personnel lost their lives.
Immediately after the attack, she spoke to DG BSF K K Sharma and expressed anguish and sorrow over the death of BSF personnel in the attack.
“Such senseless attack is a desperate attempt by the elements inimical to peace to derail the peace efforts of the Government and subvert the rejuvenating economic activity in the State,” she said.
Mehbooba said the elements inimical to interests of Jammu and Kashmir have always tried to derail the peace efforts and the latest militant strike at Bijbehara was again aimed at subverting the peace and development initiatives launched by the Government.
“These elements have always been inimical to the interests of Jammu and Kashmir and have tried to derail any peace effort initiated in the larger interest of the people of the State and the region,” she said and added that such dastardly attacks and senseless killings have only brought miseries to the people and tragedies for the victim families, both security forces personnel and the civilians.
“The only purpose of such gory acts seems to be to keep the turmoil in the State on and the latest attack is again aimed at vitiating the atmosphere,” she said.
Mehbooba while expressing solidarity with the bereaved families of the security forces personnel prayed for early recovery of the injured including civilians.
“I would like to express my sincere condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones in today’s attack,” she said.
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