Modi has mandate to solve Kashmir: CM
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 10: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today sent out very loud and clear message to both mainstream and separatists that Jammu and Kashmir has written its destiny and whatever they will get, they will get from India only whether it is life with dignity, dialogue or opening of routes.
“Jammu and Kashmir has written its ‘taqdeer’ (destiny). I want to set record straight and tell both mainstream and others (a reference towards separatists) that only from India they will get everything whether it is life with dignity, dialogue, opening of cross-LoC routes or development. All you can get from the Government of India,’’ Mehbooba said in 47 minutes hard hitting speech in the Legislative Assembly while replying to debate on Motion of Thanks to Governor’s Address this afternoon.
Almost entire Opposition including National Conference and Congress members, boycotted the Chief Minister’s Address in protest against Mehbooba not responding to the issues raised by them during Question Hour on civilian killings. However, Independent MLAs—Pawan Gupta and Engineer Rashid were present in the House.
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Mehbooba was indirectly trying to tell both mainstream and separatists to stop looking on other side for any resolution of issue.
Asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has mandate of 125 crore people of this country, which is massive majority, the Chief Minister said he has “power and potential’’ to solve the issue (of Kashmir).
“Dr Farooq Abdullah (National Conference president and former Chief Minister) has also stated that Narendra Modi can solve the problem of Kashmir,’’ she pointed out.
Meanwhile, Mehbooba also announced grant of amnesty to youth involved in various cases during 2016 unrest, which had spread after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen divisional commander Burhan Wani.
Asserting that she had directed for withdrawal of cases against 4327 youth recently and constituted a Committee to review cases against youths registered during 2016 unrest, Mehbooba announced that the Government has decided to grant amnesty to them (youth of 2016 unrest against whom cases have been registered). With this, roughly, 9000 youths will get amnesty, she added.
Lavishing praises on former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, she recalled series of measures taken by Vajpayee to restore peace with Pakistan despite massacres in Jammu and Kashmir when he took bus to Lahore, Kargil incursions, Parliament attack etc.
“Vajpayee’s gesture didn’t indicate that he was weak but he had heart that beat for the people of Jammu and Kashmir…for our security force jawans who were martyred…for our children, who were misguided to take weapons,’’ Mehbooba said.
The CM lashed out at separatists for not participating in dialogue process.
“In 2016, top Central leaders, who were part of All Party Delegation knocked at the doors of separatists but latter refused to meet them…not realizing that they were at their door steps for people of Kashmir … now for the last two months, they have chosen to stay away from Centre Government’s Special Representative Dineshwar Sharma. Sharma has called for talks with all but separatists are not bothered. What we will do in such a situation? We can only keep trying,’’ she said.
You can take a horse to a stream but can’t force it to drink, she said.
She added that Dineshwar Sharma holds the status of Cabinet Secretary, the highest ranking bureaucrat in the country, which has happened for the first time.
“Those who reach at the doorsteps of Hurriyat leaders don’t mean that they have no respect. They are respectful and just go there for the sake of welfare of people of Kashmir,’’ she asserted.
On yesterday’s statement of NC Legislature Party leader Omar Abdullah wanting to know mandate of Centre Government’s Special Representative on Jammu and Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma, Mehbooba read out the order of Sharma’s appointment in the Legislative Assembly saying he is the Government of India’s Representative to initiate and carry forward dialogue with all including concerned individuals. She pointed out that order of his appointment has been issued by the President of India.
The Chief Minister voiced concern over radicalization and indoctrination of youths.
“Instead of pen, our kids are made to hold guns. They are brainwashed and indoctrinated in the name of religion. They are told that in case they embrace death during encounter they will attain Jannat. Gun culture is glorified. I am making concerted efforts to get these youngsters back to mainstream. I am thankful to parents for directly appealing their kids to come back home. And many a youngsters have shunned gun and returned home. I saw even many a class fellows from AMU (Aligarh Muslim University) have appealed to PHD scholar (Munnan Wani) to shun the gun,’’ she said.
Referring to glorification of gun on social media, where militants’ photographs were being shown carrying weapons, the Chief Minister said she was making all out attempts to bring back the youths from the militancy and disclosed that number of youths have come back and were sent to their homes directly without being asked to appear in police stations.
She said a vicious circle of militancy has developed wherein when one militant is killed, another is born. Then infiltration of militants also continued from borders. “This vicious circle has to be broken’’.
On National Conference leader Omar Abdullah’s charge that many Burhan Wanis have been created by the present Government, Mehbooba said: “whether it is Burhan Wani or Afzal Guru Death Squad, it was challenge for everybody including the Government and the people.”
Mehbooba once again batted for dialogue with Pakistan.
“We are not interfering in foreign policy of India. Vajpayee understood importance of dialogue. Hostile atmosphere between two countries only affects Kashmiris most. People of Jammu and Kashmir suffer most because of that. Pakistan did not reciprocate well to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lahore visit. Hope, they will now understand and try to improve situation. Pakistan should understand,’’ Mehbooba said, adding that Jammu and Kashmir can be bridge of peace between India and Pakistan and gateway of Central Asia.
The Chief Minister said whenever there is tension between India and Pakistan, the people of Jammu and Kashmir suffer.
“Whether it is a fidayeen attack, IED blast, firing on the borders, the people suffer. The Centre Government has sanctioned 14,000 bunkers for the people of border but this amount could have been used for construction of hospitals and schools, if there was peace between the two countries,’’ she said while strongly pitching for normal ties between the two hostile neighbours and asked: “whether the bunkers would compensate for studies of the students lost due to shelling and firing’’?
Referring to the reported meeting between National Security Advisors (NSAs) of India and Pakistan in a third country, she hoped that Pakistan will also understand the situation and work for improving ties.
Endorsing PDP MLA Anjum Fazili’s assertion that peace is imperative for development, Mehbooba said: “I feel our Government has taken record welfare measures for public. The situation has improved but is still fragile, which can’t be addressed by the Government alone but by the joint efforts including from people of the nation’’.
She said Jammu and Kashmir despite being the Muslim majority State, the people at the time of 1947 partition chose to align with India not on the basis of religious but allogeneic terms.
“When whole nation was burning and killing each other, Kashmir remained peaceful. Mahatama Gandhi also found ray of light in Kashmir for peace. When document of accession was signed, Maharaja Hari Singh had laid condition for presence of Sheikh Abdullah,’’ she recalled.
Mehbooba appreciated Omar Abdullah for choosing three-year tenure of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as the Chief Minister from 2002-2005, for comparing it with the achievements of other Government.
“He didn’t take up the tenure of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, Ghulam Mohammad Bakshi, Syed Mir Qasim, Farooq Abdullah, GM Shah and Ghulam Nabi Azad for comparison with our Government but referred to Mufti Sayeed’s tenure. I’m thankful to him,’’ she said.
Mehbooba said her Government has succeeded in ending corruption in recruitment process of various posts filled up by the PSC, SSB and Police Recruitment Board. Earlier, the people used to sell their jewellery and animals for the jobs but now they are getting the posts on merit, she added.
On Omar’s claim that gas turbines used to be made functional during Mufti Sayeed’s tenure to supply power during winter, the Chief Minister said three out of four gas turbines were rendered non-functional during Omar’s Government.
Mehbooba batted strongly for political resolution of the Kashmir issue but cautioned that it should not be allowed to be hijacked and turned into a “religious issue”.
“A political issue should not be hijacked and made a religious issue because we can address a political issue and can find a way out unlike the religious issue,” she said.
She said her government would continue its efforts to seek a political solution to the problem and cannot sit idle.
“Pakistan has to understand that that Jammu and Kashmir has written its future and the only thing now possible is that the state can become a peace bridge instead of a bone of contention between the two countries,” she asserted.
Referring to Chinese efforts to build a road to Afghanistan, she asked what was wrong if Jammu and Kashmir becomes the gateway to central Asia.
“America was trying to exploit the mines of Afghanistan and it is China that has built a road and we left behind. Our state is strategically well placed and we should become part of these routes so that an entire world is opened instead of one country (Pakistan),” she said.
“Why can’t we be gateway to Central Asia. We should be part of the Silk Route. Let us explore the opportunities of Tashkant, Kashgar, Iran etc. which have been the historic routes through which Islam came to Kashmir”, she asked and said: “It was this tolerant Islam which groomed us to think on rational and humanitarian lines while deciding our fate in 1947. Let us go back to our routes”.
For their social inclusion and integration, the Chief Minister said the pellet victims whose vision got impaired were given financial assistance and even the jobs.
“Unfortunate, it should not have happened. We tried to rehabilitate them. We are still on it. Pellet victim Insha was given LPG agency to stand up on her feet”, she informed the House adding that these persons would be given special training in collaboration with a local institution so that they don’t have to depend on anybody for rest of their life.
Mehbooba said to empower people at grass root levels, her Government intended to hold elections to Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies and put in place a three tier governance apparatus in the State.
Rebutting strongly the charge of the opposition, the Chief Minister said a lot was done during the last three years by the Government but could not be highlighted because political scenario always dominates the scene in the State and the country.
She said regularizing the services of 60,000 daily wagers was the largest public welfare step taken by any Government in recent times.
“I am happy that they won’t have to go from pillar to post now onwards for releasing their remunerations. We have given them an honourable position, dignity and security though they were engaged by previous regimes”, the Chief Minister said while terming their regularization as the mother of all welfare measures.
On the novel initiative of her conducting public outreach programmes at district headquarters, the Chief Minister said the aim was to know the difficulties of people of far flung areas on spot and fix the same instantly. She clarified that the local legislators were part of these programmes and many of the decisions she took were in response to the demands put forth by them. “No discrimination was made on political lines”, she clarified.
Mehbooba said, equally, the aim of her public outreaches was to spread the developmental initiative to far flung and difficult areas rather than concentrating them in cities. “If a villager of Bounjwa, Marmat or Paddar does not get his half a kilometer road constructed or a health centre improved, I don’t think we are doing justice to them”, she asserted.
She said during these outreach programmes, she has noticed that though many field officers have a ready knowledge of activities in the field but some officers do not visit their areas so frequently as should be.
“We, the political executives, come and go but you (the officers) remain in the system for long”, she said while asking the field officers, particularly the DCs, to regularly visit their areas and get direct feedback from the people.
Sensing the requirements of labour class, who don’t have any job or life security, Mehbooba said the Government conceived a welfare scheme for around 3 lakh workers in un-organized sector in terms of accidental deaths, injuries or normal deaths. Also the scheme envisaged scholarships and educational incentives to the wards of these workers, she added. Similarly, she said, the widow pension was enhanced and even the scooty scheme for college girls has so picked up that the demand is coming from all across the State.
The Chief Minister said J&K Police which is on the fore front of managing the situation in the State had issues pending for long. The cadre review of Kashmir Police Service was undertaken, ex gratia amount for the cops was increased by three times, backlog of SRO-43 of around 1000 cases was cleared and quotas for promotions in constabulary were earmarked for their timely career progression, she informed the House.
In education sector, Mehbooba said, around 400 schools are being upgraded and Government schools are performing better which, she said, got displayed yesterday in the results of 10th class examination. Government schools not only got more of their students passed but also in good percentages, she added.
The Chief Minister said Government is taking steps to provide as much jobs as possible to youth. She said more than 10,000 vacancies were filled last year by the PSC and SSRB, 3000 positions of Rehbar-e-Khel have been carved out, 500 Rehbar-e-Janglats are being recruited besides the routine recruitments in the police. The major takeaway, the Chief Minister said, has been the transparency in these selections.
“There has been no interference in these selections. All I have been impressing upon the recruiting agencies is to speed up the process and conclude the selections in time”, she said.
The Chief Minister enumerated several developmental initiatives taken by her Government. She said two AIIMS and two Smart Cities are being developed in the State, 87 model hospitals are being constructed, work is apace on five Medical Colleges for which staff of around 3500 has already been sanctioned.
The Motion of Thanks to Governor’s Address was passed by the Assembly in the absence of Opposition members, barring two MLAs.
n CM again pitches
for dialogue
with Pak
n Lauds Omar for
chosing Mufti’s
tenure for comparison
n Govt wants militants
including scholar
to return
n Separatists targeted
for not participating
in dialogue
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