SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday visited the border town of Salamabad near the Line of Control (LoC), where she urged the Indian government to end hostilities and revive cross-LoC peace initiatives. Amid growing tensions along the border, she called for transforming the LoC into a “bridge, not a battleground”.
Addressing the media after visiting relief camps and the Government Medical College (GMC) Baramulla, Mufti appealed for restraint and dialogue following recent cross-border shelling that forced civilians into shelters and left many injured. “End the war. Let people live in peace,” she said, lamenting the suffering of families displaced from their homes.
At GMC Baramulla, Mufti met civilians wounded in the shelling and pressed the administration for adequate medical care and rehabilitation. “Our wounded lie in hospitals. Our homes are reduced to rubble. Kashmir cries out for peace, not war,” she said.
She also condemned the impact of militarisation on civilian lives, stating, “Those who beat the drums of war don’t hear our children weep. They don’t see our parents breaking under the weight of fear and loss. We want homes, not bunkers.”
Referring to her meeting with displaced families in Salamabad, Mufti described their suffering as “deeply human and unbearable”. She noted that these families had fled their homes overnight, traumatised by the violence. “This pain is not political; it is human,” she said.
Responding to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s recent remarks on the ceasefire, Mufti acknowledged that military de-escalation requires patience. “Ceasefire takes time. We must not be turned into people who are constantly prepared for war. War solves nothing,” she added.
Drawing on the legacy of her father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, she highlighted past peace-building measures including the Srinagar–Muzaffarabad bus service and cross-LoC trade, which she credited with reconnecting families and reviving economic ties. “We turned the LoC from a battleground into a line of hope,” she said, urging their immediate restoration.
Extending her appeal to the national leadership, Ms Mufti called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other decision-makers to pursue dialogue over confrontation. Referring to the April 22 Pahalgam attack and her subsequent call for a Valley-wide shutdown, she reiterated that “true healing demands dialogue”.
“Let us build a future where the children of Jammu and Kashmir can live without fear,” she said. “End this war. Let Kashmir breathe.”
Mufti was accompanied by senior PDP leaders including Basharat Bukhari, Pulwama MLA Waheed Para, District President Rafiq Rather, DDC member Razia and others during her visit.
