Excelsior Correspondent
CHRAR-E-SHARIEF, Dec 3: Saying that peace is imperative for dialogue and development, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti today said Jammu & Kashmir can show the way in de-escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan as developments in Jammu & Kashmir have an impact on the relations between the two neighbouring countries.
Addressing a gathering after inaugurating a nursing college, the Chief Minister said people of Jammu & Kashmir have important role in minimising hostilities between the two neighbouring countries and appealed people to create a congenial atmosphere for dialogue by ensuring peace and tranquillity in the State.
Referring to the developments of past five months in the State, Mehbooba Mufti said the people of the State suffered hugely, including the people living along the borders and the Line of Control. She said the events have proven the futility of using violence to get heard and additionally the developmental activities slated for the season in Kashmir could not be taken up. She said holistic development of the State and carrying forward the dialogue process, are already included in the priorities of her Government.
On the activities of J&K Muslim Waqf Board, the Chief Minister said she was happy to see the Board branching off its resources to develop technical resource base and expand educational network in the State.
She asked for active preservation of assets of the Waqf Board and hoped the endowments are put to public welfare use particularly in sectors like healthcare, technical upgradation of youth and educational outreach. She appealed people to come forward and help the Waqf Board in retrieving and preserving the properties of Waqf Board.
Terming education as an important factor to bring about socio-economic change in a person or society, the Chief Minister regretted that much of the time of students in Kashmir was lost this year due to unfortunate circumstances. She said while any other material loss could be made up, the time lost by our students cannot be brought back.
Minister for Agriculture, Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura and Vice Chairman, J&K Muslim Waqf Board, Peer Mohammad Hussain also addressed the gathering.
Later, the Chief Minister also inaugurated another Nursing College at Awantipora in district Budgam.
Vice Chairman, J&K Muslim Waqf Board, Peer Mohammad Hussain Minister of State for Forests & Fisheries, Mir Zahoor Ahmad, Minister of State for Hajj & Auqaf, Syed Farooq Ahmad Andrabi, Vice Chancellor, IUST, Prof Mushtaq Siddiqui besides senior officers of divisional administration were also present on the occasion.
Set up in a collaborative mode between J&K Waqf Board and Islamic University of Science & Technology, Awantipora, each college would have an intake capacity of 40 and regular class work would commence from the next week.
The nursing college at Chrar-e-Sharief would have an affiliated diagnostic centre and a mental health centre for the benefit of local people.
Earlier, Mehbooba Mufti visited the shrine of Alamdar-e-Kashmir, Hazrat Sheikh Noor-ud-Din (RA).
The Chief Minister paid her obeisance at the shrine and prayed for peace and development in the State. She also inspected some works under execution at the shrine complex.
The Chief Minister, who is also the chairperson of the J&K Waqf Board, announced release of Rs 2.5 crore for completing the works and upgrading facilities for the devotees.
She also visited the Islamic University of Science & Technology (IUST) and interacted with the faculty and the university administration.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister announced a grant of Rs. 4.5 crore for the upgradation of infrastructure at Mantaqi School Awantipora. She also announced two buses for the school.
Mehbooba Mufti also visited the proposed site of AIIMS and took on the spot appraisal of the process of land acquisition for the purpose and creating facilities of drinking water and power supply at the site.
The Chief Minister was informed that a receiving station is being set up at the site at a cost of Rs. 15.53 crore by the PDD. Similarly, she was informed that five tube wells are being set up to establish dedicated water supply to the AIIMS campus.
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