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Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Oct 4: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today turned brand ambassador for promotion of tourism in her restive State, asking people to “invest” in the emotions of people there at a function which saw chaotic moments when Delhi’s Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra faced a hostile audience for his remarks against her.
In a passionate appeal at a tourism event here, Mehbooba, with moist eyes, said there was a need to restore normalcy in the State and for that “one has to invest in the confidence of people of her State. For that confidence, you will have to visit”.
“When you people come to our State, you are investing in us, in peace, in the emotions of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” she said.
Remembering her father Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, who died earlier this year, she said “Everyone talks about dialogue, my father was saying that talks should continue between all stake holders, there should be reconciliation.
“But at the same time, there should be a dialogue between us (people). As much as you visit Kashmir and interact (with) people, you will be surprised that at the peak of the present unrest Amarnath pilgrims had met with an accident and locals left everything to extend all possible help to them.”
A passionate 57-year-old Mehbooba attending a function in the national capital amid the nearly three-month-long unrest in the Valley, said, “Kashmiris are very good people who have been failed by the leadership of the country and the State in the past.”
Maintaining that she and her team was determined to pull the State out of the unrest, Mehbooba told the audience “I don’t know whether you need Kashmir or not but Kashmir needs you”, a statement which received applause from the gathering at the Bharat International Tourism Bazaar.
Earlier, Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma called Kashmir the pride of the nation and appealed to all stakeholders to invest in the tourism sector in the State.
After his departure, Delhi’s Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra took the microphone and created a ruckus on the stage making hostile comments about Mehbooba.
“It’s time to ask right questions. We can fight terrorists, we can fight Pakistanis, but how can we fight people who are sitting at Delhi and giving shelter to terrorists… We will fight insiders or outsiders. Terrorism and tourism cannot go together. Can it? It’s not possible,” Mishra said in the presence of Mehbooba.
Attacking the Chief Minister, Mishra said “On Burhan Wani (Hizbul Mujahideen militant killed on July 8 which triggered the current unrest in the Valley) she had said that he would not have been killed had they been aware…It cannot be possible that you refuse to consider Wani a terrorist and then say that there should be rise in tourism.
“You say that Afzal Guru was not a terrorist and should not have been hanged, then say that tourism should increase. before you (Mehbooba) leave, you will have to say if you consider Burhan Wani and Afzal Guru terrorists or not,” the AAP leader said.
Mishra’s statement did not go down well with a section of the audience which forced him to stop his speech. Mishra left the venue, saying he does not want to share the dais with Mehbooba.
Later, Mishra accused Mehbooba’s party PDP of being a “sympathiser” of terrorists and wondered why BJP was in alliance with a party which “shelters terrorists”.
“Mehbooba Mufti and PDP are sympathisers of terrorists and shelter them. Allowing them to occupy the chair is betrayal with the country,” the Delhi Tourism Minister said.
Mishra sought to know if she considered Wani and executed Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru as terrorists.
“Our soldiers are dying in Kashmir…Saying Bharat Mata Ki Jai. Will she raise the slogan of Bharat Mata Ki Jai?”, Mishra said.
“Kashmir has seen the worst situations earlier also, but our people have upheld the highest traditions of hospitality and warmth for the visitors even in most difficult times,” Mehbooba said while addressing the launching function of Bharat International Travel Bazaar (BITB) at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
Mehbooba said despite having undergone the most painful situation, the spirit of Kashmiriyat is alive in the people of Kashmir. She said tourism is not just about landscapes and beauty, it is an avenue for cultural exchange and sharing of ideas. “Tourism helps not only in generating economic activity, but also helps build strong emotional bonding,” she said.
Maintaining that among any places around, Kashmir continues to be safest for women, the Chief Minister said; “out of any place in the world, including Delhi, women are safest in my Kashmir. That’s the biggest thing my State can offer.”
She said compared to any place in the world, including Delhi, women or girls are safest in our State. “There is no fear of getting raped in a car. They move around in shikaras and houseboats,” she added.
Mehbooba urged people of other States to visit Jammu and Kashmir in order to build confidence among people. “Biggest confidence building measure is if you visit our State, it shows that you trust us,” said Mehbooba Mufti.
She said that the State Government is building state-of-the-art tourism infrastructure and recently Rs 500 crore have been released by the Central Government for the purpose.
Hailing the democratic values of India, Mehbooba said her late father and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had immense faith in India’s democracy and “we continue to believe in a tolerant and secular India.”
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