People of J&K being sidelined by Delhi:NC

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Apr 14: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference today said that New Delhi’s compelling narratives of progress, modernity and development justifying its unconstitutional actions in J&K have fallen flat and has in fact hurt its development path and its economy.
“Historically being ranked well than the national average in terms of various HDI indicators, the GoI’s actions have undone the development progress and relative economic stability, which was achieved by the successive NC led Governments,” said party’s general Secretary Ali Mohd Sagar while addressing workers in presence of Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal(addl gen secy) here at Party office today.
Sagar said that the Ruling dispensation at New Delhi is on a mission to disenfranchise the native population of J&K with its selective policies and a coterie of federally appointed officers, bereft of democratic bearings, calling the shots. The local youth are being ignored in job selections. He said under the guise of unleashing Kashmir’s development potential, indigenous populations of Jammu and Kashmir: Kashmiris, Dogras, Gujjars, Paharis and others are being systemically sidelined and squeezed by heavy toll taxes , power tariff and also being denied due share in the decision making bodies at every level.
NC leader further said the `so called’ Naya Kashmir programme of ruling dispensation is only confined to shoddy propaganda. “The flood of fresh investments, job extravaganza, and infrastructure augmentation is nowhere visible on ground. Far from delivering on much touted development promises, the people of Jammu and Kashmir are continuously being denied their rights,” he said.
Addressing the workers, Dr Kamaal said the new normal in J&K has cost it its jobs, tourism, industry, handicraft and horticulture. He maintained that the people are seeing no light at the end of the tunnel and that the Government is busy in crowding-out the local indigenous population from local government and every sphere of public life including Government jobs. “The new selection lists of India post and J&K Bank were a telling indictment of shrinking job avenues of local indigenous youth from jobs in the Government sector,” he added.