Addressing police cadets at the passing out parade in Police Academy Udhampur, and also during her interaction with the media, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti delivered a comprehensive and passionate address to the cadets that will be remembered by them for long time. Obviously, the unfortunate situation in Kashmir during past three months and more was uppermost in her mind as she reflected on its numerous aspects with a poignant note that what upset her most was that of forcing denial of education on young boys and girls of the State. In a pathetic note she said that the team civil society had come to talk to the separatists about the plight of the people and find a solution. They pleaded with them that kids should not be deprived of their education. The response of the separatists was burning of two more schools.
The point is that Pakistan is the main culprit for bringing untold misery and pain to the people of Kashmir. Having failed to grab Kashmir through three wars, Pakistan has adopted a new strategy of unleashing proxy war against India. She has lured Kashmiri youth to the terrorist camps, given them training and instigated them to take up arm against their own elected Government and disrupt law and order. Why does Pakistan, working through the agency of Kashmir separatists, target small boys and girls for fueling disruption and unrest? The point is that Pakistan does not want Kashmiri children to become educated and to grow into thinking machines that would look what leads their lives to prosperity and peace. The Kashmir separatists, carrying forward the agenda of Pakistan prompt the youth to come out on the streets and become stone throwers. Their handlers instigate them to attack in big groups some police stations but then leaving the kids there they disappear in the hope that the police will retaliate, fire at the kids and thus provoke the masses of people into agitation mood. This is a vicious conspiracy of destroying the youth of the state and pushing the state to the abyss of destruction. Small boys who are forced to come out on streets and indulge in stone throwing and damaging public and private property should have been in the schools with book and copies working on their lessons. What the separatist are doing is to make a full generation of illiterates and make them part of demonstrating public.
The Chief Minister said that the fundamental question is whether differences and disputes can be resolved by fighting one another or by sitting round a table and discussing issues in an atmosphere of peace and pacification. Modi Government made efforts to drag Pakistan to the talking table and discuss outstanding issues including Kashmir. Prime Minister invited SAARC leaders to attend his oath taking ceremony. His first invitation went to Pakistan Prime Minister. He tried to create personal relationship with Pak Premier and in that spirit paid an unscheduled visit to Lahore. He had also agreed that Foreign Secretaries should meet and iron out differences. But what was the response of Pakistan — Pathankot attack, Uri attack, violation of ceasefire umpteen times, firing and shelling across the LoC and IB, targeting civilian population across the border and relentless bids of infiltrating into our territory for promoting subversive activities. This all speaks that Pakistan has nothing but ill will against us. However, notwithstanding totally negative response of Pakistan, we still believe that as we are two neighbours with so much of common history and culture, tradition and life style, we should try to reinforce friendly relations and live in peace. Be it proxy war or firing and shelling of the border, these things cannot perpetuate and the equilibrium in relations has to be sought.
Lashing out at the separatists the Chief Minister said that they are unable to understand that their negative role is harming the people and especially the poor people the most. She said that those who died in the ongoing crisis all come from poor families. She asked if the boys and girls coming from poor families had no value. The wards of separatist leaders are studying peacefully outside the state or in foreign countries. Their educational career is not at stake; it is only the poor parents’ children whose career is at stake. We would like to ask whether there was a single casualty of a youth from their family and relationship of the separatist leaders. There was none and this explains who are made the fodder for the cannon.
Turning to the police and security forces, the Chief Minister said that she was alive to the difficult conditions in which the police was performing its duty heroically. So many policemen had been martyred in service to the State. Their service to the nation will be recorded in letters of gold. She said she was proud of their patriotism and sacrifices and very much alive to the needs of the wards and families of martyred policemen. The State was going through a critical time. She went on to recognize their services as the savior of people after God Almighty.
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