KL Report
SRINAGAR
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Thursday called for strengthening of democratic and civil institutions in J&K to pave way for the settlement of Kashmir issue through the globally accepted means.
As per a statement Mufti, while addressing party office bearers from Srinagar parliamentary constituency said that democratic space could no longer be squeezed for security concerns. “It was important that security concerns are addressed but not without providing a full democratic space to people where they could run their civil institutions without someone having to breathe down their neck.”
Questioning the wisdom of asking the forces to prevent recourse of educated youth to join armed resistance PDP Patron has said it would signify failure of the political leadership. He said no research is needed for finding out the reasons for youth to feel driven to arms even after the futility of violence and its disastrous fallout has dawned on everybody. “The youth are clearly alienated for a variety of reasons that include police repression, injustice, scandalous employment policy and muzzling of dissent by the government,” Mufti said while appealing young people to strengthen democratic process and secure empowerment through the system. He said the role of youth in the coming elections will be crucial in making governments accountable for their performance and securing the individual and collective rights of people.
He has also said laws like the AFSPA have to go to realize a credible restoration of democracy in the state. “PDP’s aim is to pave way for the resolution of Kashmir issue through democratic methods,” he said, adding it was fundamental that the people of J&K enjoy complete liberties within democratic system as available to other parts of the country.
Mufti has said the restoration of all human rights by revoking emergency laws are not just slogans for the PDP but a historical necessity for bringing people of the state back from deep seated sense of injustice, deprivation and alienation. He said that rolling back the legislations like Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was inescapable. “PDP has from the very beginning delivered on this front with credit.”
Mufti recalled that he had taken up the revocation of AFSPA with the prime minister. “And to review the law, a high level committee was constituted by the central government in 2007 on his initiative but subsequent events resulted in logjam like most other initiatives that were taken by the PDP-Congress government,” he said and regretted that this important issue had now been reduced to a mere slogan to hide failure on governance front.
