Jammu : Asserting that all sections of society in Jammu and Kashmir were today feeling betrayed, Peoples Democratic Party Thursday said that Union Government must move beyond rhetoric and allow democratic and political process to resume in this trouble torn part of the country.
“The affirmation of Prime Minister Mr. Narendera Modi that Jammu and Kashmir is crown jewel of India and the people here have strong faith on Bhartiya Janta Party is contrary to the situation on ground and the figures provided by the government itself present depressing picture”, former legislator and party spokesperson Firdous Tak said here today.
“As per official figures 444 people have been detained under draconian Public Safety Act, across Jammu and Kashmir post August 5, besides those who have been illegally kept under detention just for having a contrary opinion over the government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 and downgrading the state to Union Territory”, Tak said adding that illegal and unjustified detention of three former Chief Ministers and former legislators “itself amounts to coercion”.
He said that when the Prime Ministers recall the statements made by the former chief minister regarding special status of Jammu and Kashmir, he failed to mention the supreme sacrifice leaders and workers from mainstream political parties have made for the country. “Today the same people who sworn oath of constitution and serve the nation are being questioned and targeted”, he said adding that be it unemployed youth, government employees, business community, traders, transporters or any section of the society, everyone is feeling the pain of losing statehood and special identity.
“The BJP’s Jinn of development is yet to come out of bottle and instead everything which the people of Jammu and Kashmir so proudly owned is being snatched under a planned conspiracy”, he said adding that the void between administration and general masses has widened adding miseries for the common masses.
He said that instead of rhetoric the union government must restore democracy and allow political process to be resumed in Jammu and Kashmir. “There was no alternative to sincere and meaningful political outreach through dialogue and reconciliation”.
“Mufti Muhammad Sayed chose to create a platform (PDP) for articulating the aspirations of the people of his state. People extended their faith and trust on this organisation because they saw a ray of hope in the party and measures taken by the party while in power strengthened that faith. The leadership contributed to peace campaign which changed the discourse and created an ambience for conflict resolution”.
