Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 2: A day after Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s remarks on peaceful Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir triggered a row, he said he stood by his statements and questioned hue and cry over them even as the two days old PDP-BJP coalition Government was mired in fresh controversy after eight PDP legislators sought return of mortal remains of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and handed over a signed letter to this effect to Independent MLA Engineer Abdul Rashid to secure his vote for the Legislative Council elections.
“What I said, I stand by it,” Sayeed told reporters after casting his vote for the MLC elections at the Legislature Complex within the premises of Civil Secretariat, where he assumed office of the Chief Minister today after taking guard of honour.
“What I said yesterday about Pakistan and Hurriyat… The recovery and working of democracy in Kashmir and faith in it (was that) they (Pakistan and Hurriyat) have recognized and understood that the voter slip is the destiny of the people, not bullets or grenades,” the Mufti said.
“And this voter slip has been given to us by the Constitution of India… The people of Jammu and Kashmir have more faith in this (right). They (people from across the border and Hurriyat) did not interfere, as was happening in past (elections),” he said.
Soon after taking oath yesterday, Sayeed had said that credit must be given to people from across the border — an oblique reference to Pakistan — Hurriyat and militant outfits for “allowing a conducive atmosphere” for the Assembly polls in December last year in J-K.
Under attack for the remarks, Mufti today said that only a part of what he had said yesterday was highlighted while the “positive things” were ignored.
“They want to make mountain out of a mole hill. The positive things that I spoke about yesterday were not highlighted, but more focus was on what Mufti said.
“Mufti said that the democratic right that Kashmir has got in the Constitution of India and the strength that democratic institutions have got, it is because of the voter slip, that they have recognized,” he explained.
“Everything they have tried. They (forces across the border) recognized the institution of democracy. What I said, I stand by it,” he said.
Earlier, the PDP stoked fresh controversy by demanding from the BJP-led NDA Government the return of the mortal remains of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who was hanged on February 9, 2013 during the tenure of UPA-II headed by then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
The fresh controversy came just on second day of PDP-BJP coalition Government.
Eight PDP legislators issued a statement in this regard and handed it over to Independent MLA from Langate Engineer Abdul Rashid, a condition of the MLA to vote for the PDP in today’s Legislative Council elections.
Significantly, the Congress MLAs had also given an almost similar signed statement to Engineer Rashid to secure his vote for party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in February 7 Rajya Sabha elections.
The PDP later also released the statement to the media, which said the party “promises to follow vigorously” for the return of the mortal remains of Afzal Guru.
“PDP stands by the demand for return of his (Guru’s) mortal remains, and the party promises to follow vigorously for the return of the mortal remains,” the PDP statement said.
The legislators who signed the statement are Mohammad Khalil Bandh, Zahoor Ahmed Mir, Raja Manzoor Ahmad, Mohammad Abbas Wani, Yawar Dilawar Mir, Advocate Mohd Yosuf, Aijaz Ahmad Mir and Noor Mohd Sheikh.
“PDP has always maintained that late Afzal Guru’s hanging was travesty of justice and constitutional requirements and process was not followed in hanging him out of turn,” the statement said.
“The way he was picked up from serial no.28 and singled out has been condemned by PDP and it stands by the demand for return of his mortal remains…,” it said.
“We believe that the resolution brought by Independent MLA Rashid Ahmed to seek clemency for late Afzal Guru was justified and should have been adopted by the House at that time,” the joint statement said.
In 2011, the resolution seeking clemency for Guru could not be taken up in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly due to pandemonium in the House.
The resolution became void as according to rules, any listed business that does not come up for discussion would lapse.
Meanwhile, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti today stood by her father’s statement.
“My father has not said anything wrong as during the Assembly elections, violence was less as compared to Parliament elections. I stand by his statement,” Mehbooba told reporters at the State Legislature complex here.
“If some people expect that my father say bomb Pakistan and throw Hurriyat leaders in jails in Delhi — as Farooq used to say.. I am sorry to say, my father is not used to that language,” she said.
Calling her father a “man advocating reconciliation and resolution”, Mehbooba hit out at Congress for raising the pitch over the issue.
They (Congress) have nothing to do now and they are becoming irrelevant day in and day out, she said.
Reiterating her stance, the PDP leader said that the process of de-escalation to certain extent started from Hurriyat and Pakistan in these elections, which cannot be denied.
Apart from giving credit to the people of the State, we have always appreciated security forces and police, she added.
“Our agenda of alliance [with the Bharatiya Janata Party] has clearly listed how peace can be achieved in Jammu and Kashmir, with whom we can engage and hold dialogues and how we can bring forward (former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s) agenda for peace,” Mehbooba said.
“Mufti saab considers the entire populace of the State. There is no need to put people in jail, no need to bash each other up. Any talks that might occur with separatists must take place within the frameworks of democracy,” she said.
Mehbooba maintained that “there were fewer instances of stone pelting” in the Assembly elections leading to a “larger turnout”.
“We felt that the separatists and Pakistani elements have also understood that democracy is the only way out,” she said.
The leader also pointed out that the party is looking at “increasing the stakes of people in the democratic process and bring peace to Jammu and Kashmir”.
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