Mehbooba appeals India-Pak to resume dialogue, end bloodshed

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti addressing party workers at Bijbehara, Anantnag on Sunday.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti addressing party workers at Bijbehara, Anantnag on Sunday.

Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Jan 7: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today appealed India and Pakistan to resume dialogue to end the ongoing bloodshed in Kashmir.
Addressing party workers on the second death anniversary of her father and former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, at his mausoleum in Dara Shikoh garden in Anantnag district’s Bijbehara town, Mehbooba advocated for strong and friendly relations between India and Pakistan.
Mehbooba appealed the leadership of both the countries to take measures for betterment of mutual relations which would consequentially reduce acrimony, violence and lead to an atmosphere of friendship between the two neighbours.

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She said the present violence is only killing Kashmiris who die either as militants or policemen. “One day we are seeing that there is an encounter and Kashmiri is getting killed and next day we are seeing attack on Police and Kashmiris are getting killed and then there is Fidayeen attack and again Kashmiris are getting killed”, she said.
“What will happen by this? What will happen by grenades, bullets and guns? This only kills people and our graveyards get filled. It is mindless violence and has no meaning. There is no outcome of this”, she said.
Mehbooba said dialogue is the only way forward to end bloodshed. “Resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan is the only way forward to end the bloodshed in Kashmir”, she said.
The Chief Minister regretted the loss of lives on the borders during shelling, consequent inconvenience to border people and a general insecurity among people of the two countries about each other. “For how long should humanity be let to bleed. The leadership of both the countries should rise to the occasion and change the hate mongering between the two people into a peace narrative”, she said.
Mehbooba said amicable and friendly relationship between the two countries has a positive bearing on the situation in the State.  “We have seen enough of bloodshed during the last three decades or so. Violence has inflicted only miseries  upon the people and the State. They needed to be got out of this vicious cycle. This was the main objective to stitch the alliance for Government formation in the State and our Government would continue to pursue this goal with all seriousness”, she said.
While paying tributes to late Mufti, the Chief Minister said he was the architect of a vision and mission whose sole objective was to get Jammu and Kashmir out of the miseries of times and give its people prosperous and peaceful times.
“Opening of more routes, better neighbourly relations between the two countries and more people to people contacts were the immediate results and response of this doctrine”, she said and regretted that things were not taken so seriously after the late leader demitted office in 2005. She said the vision and philosophy of her father is becoming more relevant with every passing day as the situation in the sub-continent obtains.
Mehbooba also outlined the measures taken by her Government for the welfare of the people. She said she fulfilled the promise of withdrawal of cases against youth and regularisation of 60, 000 casual and daily rated workers.
She said she has secured adequate financial assistance from the Centre which would change the developmental scenario in the State and create huge employment opportunities. But, she cautioned, it all requires a peaceful atmosphere. Many works, she added, could not be executed in 2016 due to unrest and unfortunately the funds got lapsed.
Chief Minister said her party is playing a crucial role in safeguarding the interests of the people.
Earlier, the Chief Minister visited the mausoleum of late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. She led her party workers in offering  fateh and floral tributes. Members of the Council of Ministers, MPs, legislators, senior officers also offered fateh at the grave of Mufti.
Meanwhile, to mark the second death anniversary of the late leader, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the Government today kickstarted several developmental and welfare projects in the State.
Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti laid the foundation of ambitious Mini Secretariat building at Batamaloo electronically. To be built at a cost of Rs 100 crore, the administrative complex would be a state of the art office centre housing many of the offices of district and provincial administration.
The decision to construct a Mini Secretariat at Batamaloo was taken by the Chief Minister during a review meeting of District Development Board of Srinagar.
Spread over an area of 114 kanals of land, the Mini Secretariat in the first phase of Rs. 49.93 crore would have 32 officers spaces, 80 staff rooms, 32 staff halls, and two spacious meeting halls. The building would be equipped with six elevators, a common facility centre and basement parking facility for 80 vehicles.
The building would be an example of modern office spacing in the city centre and the first phase of the project would be completed in two years.
Mehbooba Mufti, on the occasion, also e-inaugurated several new facilities at the SKIMS.
Among the facilities thrown open today include Rs 13.86 crore worth Positron Emission Tomography (PET) which has been installed in a record time of two years. With this a major facility has been added to the hospital for which the patients would invariably have to go to outside the State.
The Chief Minister also dedicated to patients Digital Subtraction Angiography. Inducted at a cost of Rs 4.13 crore, the facility entails tracking blood flow in vessels to detect any problem or disease.
Besides, Mehbooba Mufti also inaugurated Rs 2.70 crore equipment and machinery at the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. This would include equipment in physio therapy and physical activity of the patients. She also inaugurated the expansion of OPD, which includes more counters, staff and facilities for the outdoor patients, at the hospital which has come up at a cost of Rs 3.79 crore. She also dedicated to patients the Rs 5.72 cr expansion facility of Emergency Medicine, to better look after cases of trauma coming to the hospital.
The Chief Minister inaugurated 118 metre span pedestrian bridge near Presentation Convent at Rajbagh over river Jhelum. Built at a cost of Rs 11.40 crore, the 5.50 metre wide footbridge is laced with ramp facility for the specially abled people.
Minister for Public Works, Naeem Akhtar; Minister for Education, Syed Altaf Bukhari; Minister of State for Health & Medical Education, Asiea Naqash; several legislators; Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Baseer Khan; Additional Director, SKIMS, Dr. Firdous Giri; Principal, SKIMS Medical College, Bemina, Prof.(Dr.) Reyaz Untoo; Principal, GMC, Srinagar, Dr. Samia and other senior officers were present on the occasion.
Later, the Chief Minister also laid the foundation of a suspension bridge over river Jhelum at Dara Shikoh Park at Bijbehara.

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