Mir Farhat
Srinagar, Sept 25: People’s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti today said the revelations of former Army chief, V K Singh that all politicians have been paid money to “work for stability” has shaken “whatever faith they had in the democratic system of the country.”
Mehbooba told a press conference here that it was shocking that democratic institutions of the State were undermined for the national interest of the country.
“Nobody is bothered about the human and democratic rights of Kashmiris. Instead everyone seems only worried about the fallout of these revelations and criticise the exposé”, said PDP president.
Mehbooba said national interest should not mean denial of justice to the people of the State. “The State is trying to win hearts and minds of people through a bunch of middlemen instead of taking people of the State on board by allowing democracy to flourish and giving them a sense of empowerment,” she said.
The PDP president believed that latest revelations are an insult to the people of the State that they are sought to be engaged through dubious means including bribing their representatives.
Mehbooba demanded an impartial probe should be held into the latest revelations of the General V K Singh and in 2010 unrest, adding that political establishment in New Delhi should stop favouritism and political patronage.
The PDP president also denied the reports that Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir had approached the PDP during 2010 to topple Omar Abdullah Government.
Seeking an apology from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba said PDP has always been saying that innocent people were killed under a conspiracy and demanded action against the culprits.
“Omar Abdullah, who also heads the Unified Command, had defended the security forces over killing of 120-youth during 2010 unrest. They were dubbed as drug addicts and anti-national elements and paid-agents of PDP and Lashkar-e-Toiba,” the PDP president said.
Meanwhile, PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Beig, also said that former Army General’s revelations have dented the moral credibility of politicians in Kashmir, besides degraded them in the public.
Beig said if these claims are proved then the India’s claim of people’s participation in elections was “shallow and useless”. He demand these claims be probed and the Army officers and the politicians involved be punished as per law.
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