Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday refused to lower the guard against militancy but urged the Central Government to take concrete measures to reach out to the people. She said an atmosphere of mistrust between the State and Central leadership existed since Nehru’s time and it was a high time to mitigate the distrust with concrete measures.
Mufti was speaking at the main Independence Day function at Bakshi Stadium here. It was her maiden experience to preside over the I-Day function as Chief Minister. However, the event unfolded at an ominous note when the Tricolour fell off the flagstaff soon after Mehbooba pulled the rope to unfurl it. The flag was immediately picked up by the CM’s staff who held it in their hands until the salute ceremony concluded. Mehbooba kept her nerve during the mishap that stunned everyone in the official gallery and left the managers of the event red-faced. Mehbooba had reportedly asked the DGP K Rajendra to take action against the officials responsible for the flag-furling.
In her speech, Mehbooba repeatedly referred to the ongoing strife in Kashmir that resulted into loss of lives. She said violence has brought miseries to Kashmir and is not a means to seek resolution of problems, which is possible through democratic and political means involving engagement and dialogue.
In an apparent reference to killing of militant commander Burhan Wani, she said the encounters will continue to take place as they have been happening in the past.
She asked as to why the democratic process did not mature in Jammu & Kashmir until 2002. “Why Salahuddin is in Pakistan, Yasin Malik in jail and (Syed Ali) Geelani somewhere else. They all had participated in 1987 elections which were rigged,” she said.
Mehbooba said there was no mistrust between the people of India and the people of J&K but it existed between the leaderships of New Delhi and Kashmir.
“The notion that creating disturbances and fueling violence will lead to resolution of the problem is completely misplaced as Kashmir underwent perilous phase of violence in early nineties leaving behind a scary trail of death and destruction. Have we achieved anything out of that gory era of bloodshed and devastationIJ” she asked. She said neither the stones nor the guns either in hands of the militants or the in the hands of security forces would enable a peaceful solution of the problem.
The Chief Minister said she had taken an initiative to withdraw all the cases against the youth involved in 2008 and 2010 unrest to safeguard their future. It was for the first time in several years that schoolchildren were not part of the contingent taking part in the parade. A handful of locals had turned up to watch the event. No cultural show was held on the event though a group of police commandos entertained the gathering with their dare-devil bike stunts.