KL Report
SRINAGAR
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Monday moved two amendments to the motion for vote of thanks to the president of India for his speech delivered to the joint session of parliament.
According to a party statement, in the first amendment motion moved by the party president, Mehbooba Mufti, who is representing South Kashmir in Parliament, PDP proposes the following amendments in the presidential address: “The Government of India will address the Kashmir issue and the issues facing the people in Jammu and Kashmir within the parameters of Insaniyat, Jamhuriyat and Kashmiriyat.”
In the second amendment, the statement read, the party seeks to add to the President’s address a commitment for zero tolerance to human right violation in J&K state.
Commenting on the president’s address, Mehbooba Mufti, said, “while the presidential address had presented an inclusive vision for all sections of the population it was disappointing that the problem of J&K had been excluded from it.”
“While it was good that improvement of intra-regional connectivity in the state and return of Kashmiri Pandits to their homes were mentioned in the agenda for the government it was unacceptable that the government had remained silent over the larger issue of J&K, its political resolution and development needs,” Mehbooba said.
“People of the state had expected the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to follow up on his assurances during the election campaign that Kashmir would be addressed within the parameters of Insaniyat, Jamhuriyat and Kashmiriyat,” she added.
She said given the strong mandate that the BJP and NDA have received in the Lok Sabha polls this was the time to embark on a peace mission in Kashmir and with Pakistan, so that the region could be pulled out of immense problems that the people are facing, because of trouble in and over Kashmir.
The PDP president said her party would use the parliamentary forum to stress the inevitability of solving Kashmir and would try to reach out to all sections of public opinion with a message for peace from Kashmir and a strong desire for its resolution, the statement further said.
On the human rights issue, Mehbooba said while the government had declared a zero-tolerance for terrorism and extremism it was also necessary that the government made an unqualified determination to safeguard the lives, property and honour of the people of the state. “There have been blatant human rights violations of all kinds in J&K at the hands of government forces and the militants.”
“The people of the state have been crushed between two guns and unless the government makes a bold start on protecting lives and honour from excesses of its forces, the idea of India would continue to suffer crisis of credibility among the people in the state,” said Mehbooba.
“Trust deficit between residents of J&K and rest of the country has to be bridged by ensuring justice, fair-play and equality before law and unless the people in the state enjoy the dividends of being part of a democratic system the alienation levels would in-turn result in more problems for them in the state,” Mehbooba exclaimed.
