Kashmiri youth prefer gun over going to jail: Mehbooba Mufti

SRINAGAR — People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said that militancy considerably increased ever since Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came into power in the Centre.

She said that times have come to a point where Kashmiri youth prefer to hold a gun in their hands, rather than going to jail.

Mehbooba Mufti was addressing a press conference at PDP Jammu office. She said, “We want Article 370 back in Jammu and Kashmir, and BJP will have to return back everything that has been snatched from the people of Jammu and Kashmir”.

Mehbooba Mufti said that the special status and the provisions granted under it were not for the Muslims of Kashmir alone, but were beneficial for people of Jammu and Ladakh as well, which were indeed brought by Maharaja Hari Singh to secure the Dogra culture.

She said, “The darkness that started here post August, 2019 has engulfed Jammu also and people here are too much worried about the sequence of events.”

“We want 370 back and they (BJP) will have to return everything snatched from us on 5 August 2019,” she added.

While replying to a question, Mehbooba Mufti criticized the Central government, saying that it is harshly treating opponents and whosoever speaks against the present dispensation, he is sent to prison.

“It is only because of such high handedness of the Government that youth in Kashmir prefer to hold guns rather than going to jail forcibly and militancy has also witnessed a rise in BJP rule,” Mehbooba Mufti said.

When asked about her controversial flag remark, she said, “I took oath of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir and Constitution of India and will hold both flags together.”

Advising the Government of India to learn a lesson from the foreign policy of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for restoring normalcy on borders with Pakistan and save innocent people from dying.

She reiterated her father Mufti Mohammad Syed’s vision to open more and more borders with Pakistan and referred to his statement for unification of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Pakistan administered Kashmir, besides solution of Kashmir issue.

“My father upheld the national flag in Jammu and Kashmir at a time when he was socially boycotted,” she said.

While castigating BJP and Government of India, she alleged that the resources of Jammu and Kashmir are being snatched.

“Even the sand and clay from rivers of Jammu and Kashmir are being snatched with locals here getting sand at the cost of 21,000 per vehicle and this all is due to anti-people policies of the ruling unit,” she said.

She further said, “There is no place for employment for Jammu and Kashmir youth now, which is cause of concern and is worrying everyone here in Jammu also.”

When asked about the PAGD’s decision to contest DDC polls unitedly, she said that Congress’s decision to contest polls with PAGD has already been announced by Chairman Dr Farooq Abdullah, adding that modalities of distribution of tickets for DDC polls under PAGD banner have not been finalized yet.