Suhail Khan

BARAMULLA, Mar 26 : People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said that her party, since its inception, fought for dialogue with Pakistan and Hurriyat for the sake of Kashmir cause.

Mehbooba said that before PDP came into existence Kashmiris were face to face with Ikhwaan (government created counter insurgency force), Task Force and POTA. “On the other side to talk about Pakistan was very difficult as every party at that time was asking for bombing Pakistan but it was late Mufti Sahab who along with Beigh Sahab launched new Party with an aim to have a dialogue with Pakistan and Hurriyat.”

Mehbooba said that presently every political party is favoring talks with Hurriyat but it was PDP that since its beginning fought for the people of Kashmir and especially for the betterment of its youth.

She said Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a new era of peace and development during the tenure of his late father as chief minister of the state. Mehbooba said that even youth of the state were so impressed by the performance of Late Mufti that they had started to shun the path of violence.

Other senior PDP leaders who were present on the occasion included Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, party’s candidate for Baramulla parliament seat Abdul Qayoom Wani, Dr Mehboob Beg, Mohammad Dilawar Mir, Javed Beigh, Safina Beigh, Yawar Mir and Shabir Mir.

Srinagar, March 26 : Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday claimed that PDP “sacrificed” in allaying with BJP for “resolution of Kashmir”.

“We tried our level best. We sacrificed party. We sacrificed ourselves. The only aim behind it was that there should be talks with Pakistan. There should be talks with Hurriyat Conference. Unfortunately, it was not understood here,” Mehbooba said addressing a public rally in Baramulla.

“We did not form the coalition with NDA at centre and had it been so Beigh Sahib (Muzaffar Hussain Beigh) would have been a minister similarly as Omar sahib (Omar Abdullah) was minister in NDA led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.”

Later talking to reporters, Mehbooba also rejected Omar Abdullah’s claim that NIA was brought to J&K by the PDP, saying the Indian investigation agency was brought during alliance of National Conference and the Congress in 2009. “I even opposed it,” she said.         

Mehbooba Mufti in January this year also apologized for her ‘toffee’ remark, saying she was concerned for ‘her children being pushed to rallies where they got injured’.

“Didn’t I have this right to tell these children in a loud voice that you were part of my rallies… why were you asked to stand in the front of those rallies (protest demonstrations) where you, God forbid, got injured,” said Mehbooba said. “I still apologize if anyone was hurt,” she said: “What else can I do?”

Mehbooba was widely criticized for her comment during 2016 uprising that the “youth were not going to army camps and police stations to buy toffee and milk”. (GNS)

Rejecting and denouncing the reports circulated by Indian agencies NIA and ED about the seizing properties belonging to incarcerated leaders Altaf Ahmad Shah, Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Raja Mehraj-ud-din Kalwal, Shahid-ul-Islam, Farooq Ahmad Dar, and prominent businessman Zahoor Ahmad Watali lodged in Tihar jail, All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman, Syed Ali Geelani said that the health of these allegations against the leaders is known to everybody and people very well understand the mindset behind such baseless accusations. It is propaganda and baseless, aimed to gratify their vote bank and as long as Kashmiries are hit hard, the power athirst forces are guaranteed Mr. Narinder Modi to stay in power.

He said that Indian leadership is using the NIA and ED as a tool of oppression and suppression against the Kashmiries, Indian Muslims and their political opponents and not does it stand any moral, ethical or democratic ground.

Hurriyat chairman said that the government of India is very well aware about the fact that the Hurriyat leaders have not amassed any illegal properties, but claiming to seize the property at the time of election in India has put a big question mark on the competence and efficiency of their much hyped investigative institution, which has dug so low to pave its worse in every trivial issue without any documentary proof.

Pro-freedom leader said that in order to win parliament elections, Mr. Narendr Modi claimed that his government held air strikes in Pakistan, but when the international community, opposition and sane voices in India raised question over this claim, Indian government launched a crackdown on pro-freedom organizations, political leadership, and unarmed people of Kashmir to silence opposite voices.

Terming the Kashmir dispute a reality like Himalaya, Hurriyat chairman said that Indian rulers and their supporters should bear it in mind that muscular approach can never force a nation to submission and curbing the political space and arresting the political leadership in forged and fake charges and creating fear psychoses cannot lease them forever.

Pro-freedom leader said that people of India in majority have been intoxicated with a venomous propaganda against the freedom movement of Kashmir and its leadership by their fascist government with the help of their hyper-national and biased media houses.

In such times, it’s the responsibility of Kashmir’s conscious journalists and writers to being forth the reality of oppressed Kashmiries. It’s understood that Indian propaganda takes front page headlines in Newspapers, but it is also important to highlight the sufferings and hardships of Kashmiri people at the hands of Indian military might.