Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Apr 2: Former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti, today said that if Article 370 is tinkered with there will be no flag bearer of India in Kashmir.
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Addressing a rally at Handwara in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district, Mehbooba said that Article 370 is a bridge and if it is broken the mainstream parties will have to re-think on accession. “I want to ask, Amit Shah, if you think you will be able to abrogate article 370, you are daydreaming. Article 370 is a bridge between the people of Kashmir and the rest of India. When you destroy this bridge the mainstream politicians like me, who swear by the Indian constitution also have to think about it. We are holding India flag here, but if you touch Article 370 this flag will neither be in our hands nor on our shoulders”, she said.
The PDP president said that war mongering will not work as Indian voters understand issues like farmers suicide, unemployment. “I want to warn those people who are fighting the election on the issue like fighting a war or harassment of Kashmiris that such things do not last long. The Indian voters understand that issues like unemployment and farmers suicides have increased in your government. So bombarding Pakistan, highhandedness in Kashmir is not going to work”, she said.
“Just like other parties, we did not restrict ourselves to talks alone. They make big promises during elections. We never make promises which won’t be fulfilled. When my father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, formed the party in the 1990s he said he would end the sufferings of the people here, motivate India and Pakistan to talk, end POTA and the Ikhwan rule here. At that time there were guns all around and while travelling from South Kashmir to Srinagar no one would dare to carry cash in his pocket for fear of getting looted. When my father won the elections he showed a glimpse of the rule. We are facing the same situation today”, Mehbooba said.
She further said: “The youth are carrying the stones, weapons and face bullets. The same youth is unemployed as well. The elders spent their lives in whatever possible way, but today they have to carry the coffins of their young ones. Graveyards are full of martyrs irrespective of the people who killed them”, she said.
Mehbooba said that how can youth leave guns and stones unless ways of prosperity are opened for him. “How will the youth of Kashmir leave the stones and Guns? He will shun these things only when new ways are opened for him which will lead towards the prosperity”, she said.
“As Mufti Sayeed used to say we are fighting to achieve something new, but what we already possess should be safeguarded. We have our flag and constitutions and State rights. Those things need to be safeguarded first. But, we won’t be able to safeguard it alone. In the two years of Government, I did not let anyone touch them”, the PDP president said.
The PDP president said that the PDP alliance with BJP was done to help the people of the State. “PDP came forward to help resolve the issue of Kashmir. We opened the Muzaffarabad road to increase the connectivity of Kashmiris who have been locked here. Mufti Sayeed said that all the routes should be opened for Kashmiris like Muzaffarabad and, Rawalakote, Kargil Askardu and Jammu Sialkote. All this was done to connect Kashmiris to the middleeast so that our elders would go for pilgrimage to places like Iran in two days. These were old routes to Kashmir, but after Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah signed the accord with India, except one route all other roads were blocked. So the PDP’s Agenda is best for resolution of Kashmir issue. There is no other way to achieve it other than what Mufti Mohammad Sahib has shown us. Our alliance with BJP was also done on the same terms”, she said.
Mehbooba said that the PDP will form the next Government in the State. “Write it down that except PDP no other party will form a Government here”, she said.
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