Facing the ire of the media and different political parties for his pro-Pakistan rant, Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed on Sunday took a firm stand against Pakistan as the Assembly passed a strongly-worded resolution condemning the recent twin terror attacks in Kathua and Samba districts.
Two terrorists dressed in military fatigues had stormed a police station in Kathua district on Friday and gunned down a policeman, a civilian and two paramilitary personnel before they were shot dead. On Saturday, two more militants were killed after attacking an Army camp in Samba district.
These were the first terror attacks in Jammu & Kashmir after Sayeed became the Chief Minister on March 1. After the Kathua attack, Sayeed had pointedly blamed “non-state actors”, an euphemism often used by the Pakistani establishment.
Urging Pakistan to rein in subversive elements operating from within its territory, Mufti said a message has to go to it from our country’s strongest and most powerful Assembly that incidents like Samba and Kathua would not be tolerated in future.
Mufti said: “The relations between India and Pakistan won’t improve if such incidents continue to happen.” He also called for greater vigil on the borders to prevent such attacks.
Stating that such acts are timed to subvert the fledgling peace process, Mufti said such forces would not be allowed to succeed. He said if we have to carry forward the process of reconciliation, such incidents should not be repeated.
Earlier, in the morning, soon after the House convened for Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu to present Budget proposals for 2015-16, BJP legislators raised anti-Pakistan slogans to register their protest against the terror attacks.
legislators of the Congress and National Conference also raised the issue of safety of border residents and demanded that the State Government list the measures taken to deal with the situation on ground zero.
As the uproar continued in the House it was decided to pass a unanimous resolution in the Assembly, resolving that the movement for peace and reconciliation will be carried forward with full force and the enemies of the people of the State will be defeated.
“The roots of democracy have grown stronger in the State. There were no incidents on the borders in the State from Kathua to Kargil between 2002 to 2008. We have invested a lot in the peace process. There are some rogue elements which, in the name of religion, are carrying out such acts. These elements will not be allowed to damage the fabric of peace in the State,” the Chief Minister asserted.
Meanwhile in New Delhi, chairman of moderate Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umer Farooq met Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit on Sunday to understand Islamabad’s stand at the recent Foreign Secretary-level talks held between India and Pakistan, besides informing him of the “ground situation” in the State.
After reaching Delhi, the Mirwaiz, who is leading a team of seven members to participate in the Pakistan Day celebrations on Monday said, “It is important that you understand, if we have to end violence, Kashmir cannot have a military solution. It cannot have a solution through violence.
“But we also need to have a parallel political process so that we can move forward towards this resolution. Hurriyat primarily believes that Kashmir is a political problem, it is not a problem of good or bad governance. It is not a territorial dispute, it is not a regional dispute. It’s an issue about the people. let there be some movement forward, let some political initiative be taken. We are ready to support that process, both vis-a-vis New Delhi and through Islamabad.”
The Mirwaiz later met Basit for a one-to-one meeting at the residence of the High Commissioner where the envoy told him about the stand taken by Islamabad during the talks held between Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry. This meeting comes a fortnight after Basit had gone to the Delhi residence of hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and updated him about the talks.