Calls for CBMs, relief package for J&K
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 25: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today announced that she will not contest any election in Jammu and Kashmir and won’t become the Chief Minister even if her party wins till Articles 370 and 35-A are restored and demanded certain Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) and package for the people to restore their shaken confidence in the Central Government.
She made the important announcement of neither contesting any election nor becoming the Chief Minister until special status of Jammu and Kashmir are restored in an interview to NDTV, which comes a day after all important talks at an All-Party Meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which was also attended by her.
“I don’t want to use restoration of Articles 370 and 35-A as mere political slogans. I’m not going to contest any election and if my party wins, I will not become the Chief Minister till the two Articles are restored in Jammu and Kashmir,” Mehbooba said, adding her party will fight the polls as they don’t want to leave democratic space for others to jump in whose presence could be more detrimental to the interests of the people.
She said there are many senior leaders, who are efficient to become the Chief Minister if the party wins the Assembly elections “but I will not be the Chief Minister as a message should go that restoration of special status of Jammu and Kashmir are not mere political slogans”.
The Central Government had on August 5, 2019 abrogated Articles 370 and 35-A granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the State into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
Asked by the television channel as to whether the Central Government representatives promised restoration of Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir at the meeting, the PDP chief said they did promise but said it will be given at an appropriate time. There was no clarity in their stand whether it (the Statehood) will be given before or after the elections, she added.
On her demand for talks with Pakistan, she said after fresh ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, people have heaved sigh of relief on the borders.
“I don’t say that the Government should straightway talk to Pakistan on Kashmir. But a beginning should be made by talking about resumption of trade on Poonch-Rawlakote and Uri-Muzaffarabad routes. The initiatives which Atal Behari Vajpayee had initiated must be taken forward,” she asserted.
Asserting that there was a need to win trust of the people of Jammu and Kashmir which has been badly shaken, Mehbooba, who headed the PDP-BJP coalition Government from April 2016 to April 2018, said the Central Government first demoted a 10th class student to KG and are then assuring to promote him to 2nd class,.
“What do I say about this? They reduced Jammu and Kashmir from special status to non-special status and then made it a Union Territory. They have demolished trust of the people. There was now need to take certain CBMs to rebuild confidence of the people, who are shattered and depressed. Young boys are so depressed that they are jumping into the rivers to kill themselves,” she said.
Mehbooba said economy of Jammu and Kashmir has gone down in the past two years. There is need to give decent package to traders, tourism sector, horticulture etc. The Government must reach out to the people first, she added.
About situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the PDP president said if things were so nice do you think they would have called ‘Gupkar Gang’ (a term used by the BJP for People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration) for talks. Things haven’t gone the way they (the Centre) had expected (after abrogation of special status), she asserted.
On Government’s claims that violence has gone down after August 5, 2019, Mehbooba said: “Killing militants might be the success of security forces but it can’t be the success of Government. Why youth are picking up guns? We have to reach out to the people so that youth don’t pick up guns. The CBMs must be taken and relief package given to the people well before holding the elections”.
Meanwhile, Mehbooba Mufti today also called on veteran Opposition leader Sharad Yadav at his residence in New Delhi and held discussions with him on the situation of Jammu and Kashmir post-August 5, 2019.
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