KL Report
SRINAGAR
Expressing deep concern at the deteriorating status of Indo- Pak ties Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti Friday said the tit for tat killings in each others jails must be stopped without further bloodshed.
Addressing a convention of the workers of Sonwar constituency, she said the state government failed in its duty to protect the Pakistani prisoner Sonaullah inspite of advisory by the central government to all states on strengthening the security of Pakistani prisoners.
Party general secretary Mohammed Dilawar Mir, former Minister Tariq Hameed Karra, chief spokes person Naeem Akhtar, MLA Mansoor Hussain, district president Mohd Ashraf Mir, Ab Hameed Kosheen, Nisar Ah Mandoo, Zone president Mohd Shafi Mir and others were also presnt on this occasion.
Mehbooba said the killing of Sarabjeet Singh in Pakistan has rightly been condemned and the people of Kashmir who have been victims of violence for decades can understand the pain of his family more than anybody else. She said the people of the two countries must strive to come out of the vicious cycle of hatred and allow the peace process to be revived.
Coming down heavily on the state government for its failure to prevent attack in Kot Balwal jail on Pakistani prisoner Sonaullah, Mehbooba said it seems to be something worse than mere inefficiency for which the state government is known. She said the attack could be part of Omar Abdullah government’s agenda to please the fundamentalist and extremist elements in the country to show itself as more loyal than the king. “Otherwise how is it possible for someone to procure an axe in the high security jail to assault another prisoner especially after government of India had alerted the state governments against such an apprehension. The NC led government has by their malafied action contributed to worsening of diplomatic relations between the two countries”, Mehbooba said while pointing out that the instability in the region suits NC’s negative politics and vested interests.
Mehbooba said Srinagar which is politically the most sensitive area of the state has been the worst victim of NC’s negative politics and its attempts at keeping tensions alive. Recalling the announcement of former Prime Minister I K Gujral in Qazigund in 1997 about initiating dialogue with the separatists Mehbooba said Dr Farooq Abdullah had next day objected to this on the floor of the state assembly. Dr Farooq Abdullah she said had then said that if the central government ever entered a dialogue with separatists he would be the first to rebel against New Delhi. She said the NC carried on this tactics and when the central government later held a round of discussions with separatists in Srinagar the state government announced that it would not honour any ceasefire with militants. This she said was aimed at keeping the people of Kashmir alienated while the Sheikh family struck friendly relations with everybody in New Delhi to enjoy the luxuries of power.
Mehbooba said the NC’s policy of promoting bloodshed in the state while projecting itself as the only party that can serve Indian interests here which has led the state to present miserable condition. She said the party kept raising issues like Raishumari and autonomy from the stages and while in government sold out everything that it could in 1975 it buried plebiscite for Chief Minister’s job and in 2000 it hanged autonomy to preserve Omar Abdullah job as a junior minister in the NDA government. Pointing out the hypocrisy of NC, Mehbooba said on the one hand it is handing over power projects to NHPC and on the other hand is urging the people to help it on the ‘Struggle to get them back’. She said people are no more the dumb driven cattle that the NC treated them for many decades and they understand their tricks and that is why the ruling party has lost most of its influence and is reduced for 65 seats to 28 that too with the help of boycott and tactical rigging in Srinagar.
Referring to the reports that the government was contemplating to transfer the SKIMS and Kashmir Nursing Home back to the Abdullah family’s personal trust, Mehbooba said the party will resist this tooth and nail. She said this institute has been constructed and run entirely on government funds and that has been established even by the state High court.
She said there was a feeling that Omar Abdullah was trying to strike a deal on the return of SKIMS and Kashmir Nursing Home with the ministers who had opposed it in the cabinet. It seems Omar is silent on the spurious drug scam, the bungling of hundreds of crores in PHE and the forest land grab cases in order to strike deal with the concerned minister’s so that they withdraw their objections to handing over of SKIMS and Kashmir Nursing home to Sheikh family.
