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| Mufti vows to fight terror, condemns Kathua attack | | Asks Pakistan to act against non-state actors | |  Asif Iqbal Naik
Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 20: Vowing to fight terror tooth and nail and asking Pakistan to act against the non-state actors present there, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Friday condemned the terror attack in Kathua in which two civilians and three security personnel lost their lives.
Chief Minister in his speech on vote of thanks on Governor's address in Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly expressed grief and shock over the loss of innocent lives in terror attack and also announced compensation to the next of kith and kin of victims and vowed to continue to fight against terror. "People of the state are determined to fight these terrorist with bravery," he said.
Mufti said that the attack was carried out by the non state actors operating on Pakistani soil. He said that Pakistan is itself facing the turmoil due to these non state actors who are beyond the control of Pakistani government. "I urge Pakistan to act against these non state actors present in their areas--- in case of failure, these non state actors will one day change the geography of the Pakistan" said Mufti.
"I don't know why and how these attacks take place. This is not permissible in Islam. Islam is a religion of peace and it teaches peace" said Mufti.
Earlier Mufti began his speech by raking up the issue of Jinah's two nation theory (Referring to division of India & Pakistan on religious lines) and said that India is a biggest democratic country where people of different religion and caste are living together.
Describing the present coalition government in the State as a dispensation that has added an element of diversity to the NDA Government at the Centre, Mufti said the participation of the country's only Muslim majority State in coalition with BJP in J&K would play a crucial role in facilitating India's recognition as an emerging economic power at the international level.
He described J&K as a shining example of country's secular credentials which defied the logic of two-nation theory and acceded to the Indian Union.
He said that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had turned his Srinagar visit into a historic opportunity to reach out to Pakistan and script the agenda for peace, added that PDP's partnership with PM Narendra Modi could make the power structure at the national level more inclusive and diverse.
The Chief Minister said if India has to become a great nation, it will have to take SAARC countries along, including Pakistan, and added that we have to learn from the experience of the European Union (EU), where all the countries have entered into an alliance for bringing holistic economic development and prosperity in the region. "Pakistan is the only bottleneck to operationalization of SAARC and harnessing its full potential. It will have to be engaged in the interest of the entire region and PM Modi has already taken a lead on this front" Mufti said.
He said that no one can change the special status of J&K (Article 370), added that time has come for Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh to harmonies their diversity and write a new chapter in the State's history of reconciliation.
He said building understanding between various regions of the State was of utmost importance and wondered how could one strengthen the links between Kashmir and rest of the country if we fail to live harmoniously even as the regions of a single State.
Referring to incidents at Chatergam and Machil fake encounter where the Government of India took stern action against the security personnel, the Chief Minister stated that his Government is committed to take measures and examine the need to review the special laws being applied to the State. "There has been a lot of debate over removal of AFSPA. There is a need to re-look at it. My Government advocates a phase-wise removal of AFSPA from the areas which have now been free of militancy for quite sometime" said Mufti.
Highlighting the purpose of the alliance between PDP and BJP, Mufti stated that the new Government shall be empowered to take confidence building measures within and across the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K, thereby ensuring lasting peace.
Mufti also reminded the Leader of the Opposition, Omar Abdullah, of his days as Minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA Government.
Contrary to his first news conference, Mufti highlighted the agenda of the alliance and hail the people's mandate in the last Assembly elections and thanked the Election Commission and the State Administration for ensuring free-and-fair polls in the State.
"We will initiate unconditional dialogue with all stakeholders so that we are able to bring the State out of uncertainty. I see the present alliance as a wonderful opportunity to bring Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh together---We did that in 2002 when Congress got the mandate of the people in Jammu and we did the same now when people in Jammu voted overwhelmingly for BJP," he added.
Stating that his Government has accorded top priority to reconstruct the flood-ravaged infrastructure and rehabilitate those people who lost everything to the September flood fury, Mufti said all affected people, especially small-time businessmen who had no security of insurance, shall be provided relief. "I have constituted a Committee to be headed by the Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu which will expedite rehabilitation and disbursement of relief to the flood victims," he added.
The Chief Minister said so far the Union Government has released Rs. 1,000 crore under "Prime Minister's Package for Floods" for restoration of damage to public assets over and above around Rs. 1,100crore already available with the State government under NDRF for emergency relief and temporary restoration. An amount of Rs. 820 crore, he said, stands spent under SDRF. "The work on commencement of permanent restoration has already begun. We are separately pursuing the release of a Special Package that would cater to the requirements of the affected people," he added.
Flagging the issue of empowering the Panchayats, corporations and municipalities in the State, the Chief Minister hailed Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah for introducing the concept of Single Line Administration where the entire Cabinet would go to the people to address their issues on-the-spot.
The Chief Minister said he has in mind an idea of Smart Governance that coalesces e-Governance, adheres to Public Services Guarantee Act (PGSA) and the Right to Information Act (RTI), Transparent Transfer Policy, which has security of tenure, prevention of corruption in administration and fair disposal in filling up of vacancies and regularization of employees so that the faith of the people in Government institutions is restored.
Making a pinpoint reference about Government's resolve to address the issue of one-time settlement of refugees from across the LoC, Mufti said the government will also take all measures for sustenance and livelihood of the West Pakistan Refugees to be looked into by a Committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh.
"The Centre has a comprehensive policy for return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandit community and many of our brethren have taken benefit from it," he said, adding that an enabling peaceful environment would facilitate a gradual return of the community to Kashmir. Mufti said during the UPA rule he had told the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that even temporary facilities for the community should have been set up within the valley so that they could gradually reintegrate into their culture and milieu.
Referring to the development of tourism sector, the Chief Minister said the State is a known tourist place throughout the world. In order to develop state as a high-end tourist destination, we have a specific plan for addressing the tourism concerns of all the three regions of the State.
Referring to the issue of political prisoners in the State and the perception in media about the exact number, Mufti said there are only 37 detainees under PSA. Among them, 20 are foreign nationals, while only 17 detained under PSA including six smugglers.
He said that all lands (807000 kanal) other than those given to the security forces on the basis of lease, licenses and acquisition in which due process of law has not been followed, shall be returned to the rightful owners, except in a situation where retaining the lands is absolutely imperative in view of specific security requirement.
Mufti said his Government would provide greater autonomy to institutions like State Accountability Commission and the State Vigilance Commission to bring in proactive, accountable and transparent Government.
Stating that his Government will explore the possibility of working out modalities for transferring the Dulhasti and Uri Hydro Power Projects to J&K, the Chief Minister said the Rangarajan Committee and the Round Table Committee Reports recommendations will be implemented for moving towards making J&K self-reliant in the power sector.
He said the State will also request the Union Government for allocating a dedicated coal mine in Madhya Pradesh to J&K with coal reserves of not less than 150 MMT for setting up a pit-head Thermal Plant with equity support from Government of India.
"It is very painful to see that we have not been able to provide hassle free & all weather National Highway between Jammu and Srinagar even so many decades of independence. A light rain or snowfall closes the road for days together. This government shall put four-laning of NH on highest priority," he said and added that construction of tunnel on Mughal Road shall also be taken up on priority.
The Chief Minister also stated that a dedicated rail link between Jammu & Srinagar and other parts of the State will be taken up with the Centre.
He also spoke at length about developing the Horticulture & Agriculture sectors as these are directly linked with growth of rural economy of the State. |
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