Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 11: Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti today criticized the State Government for being unable to bring the communal unrest within the State under control, saying that Government was sleeping at a crucial moment of crisis in the State.
Mehbooba while addressing a press conference said here at her residence: “The two communities are at war with each other. What is the Government doing? Nobody seems to be in control of the situation, which is very unfortunate for a place like Jammu and Kashmir where Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs have been living in peace and harmony in the worst kinds of situations.”
The PDP president said that violence is spreading to more areas of the Sate and accused the State Government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of being apathetic at a crucial time.
“The Government has been a silent spectator to the whole thing. They have been watching the whole situation and doing nothing, which is one of the reasons why this has flared up,” Mehbooba said.
The PDP leader said that she was unhappy with the State Government’s decision to impose a curfew in the affected areas as it prohibited her to visit Kishtwar and appeal to all communities for maintaining calm in Kashmir valley.
“Hooligans late in the night have beaten up people from other communities. Even religious places have been attacked, which is very unfortunate. I want to go to Kishtwar. We would like to go and meet people and interact with them and appeal to both the communities for peace,” Mehbooba said.
The PDP president said that today any kind of situation is dealt with by the police. “State is run by police and not by the Government. It is people versus police now and not people versus Government. There has to be some kind of buffer between the police and the people. We wanted to be that buffer, but they are not allowing us to do so”, she said.
Mehbooba said that she was prevented from leaving her residence to visit communal violence hit Kishtwar district in Jammu region by the Government. “A police team has been deployed outside the main gate of my residence and we are not being allowed to leave the premises. Even my motorcade has been withdrawn and only my personal security officer has been allowed to come inside my residence”, she added.
“This morning the vehicles detailed with me were prevented from reporting for duty and gates of our residence were locked. Police put up barricades for sometime before a large number of our workers arrived here. At about 10:40 a.m. the district magistrate Srinagar called and formally informed about the restrictions imposed on me and banning me from visiting Kishtwar”, the PDP leader said.
Mehbooba said that Chief Minister as usual is accusing everybody except himself for the mess he has created in the State. “On one hand he accuses BJP of having a hand in the flare up and on the other he tweets and discusses the situation with its national leader and advising her to get in touch with Army Commander and DGP”, she added.
The PDP leader said that Omar reports to Parliament through the BJP leader and prevents local opposition leader from any discussion by putting her under house arrest. “If he has evidence of BJP complicity how many people have been arrested? Instead boys are being rounded up in Srinagar and political leaders including the elected opposition in Kashmir imprisoned in their houses in Kashmir”, she accused.
Mehbooba said that if Government is aware as who is behind the communal disharmony, why it has failed to arrest them. “Failures of Government have given sense of insecurity to people,” she said.
Mehbooba said that reports from Kishtwar and other places in Jammu province are highly disturbing.
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