Early Times Report
JAMMU, Aug 10: PDP president and JK CM Mehbooba Mufti has done no mainstream Kashmiri leader could ever dream of. On Tuesday, she took a very bold stand and spoke the truth, which rattled the NC, the Congress and others in Kashmir.
Soon after meeting the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi, Mehbooba Mufti without mincing words said that what had been happening in Kashmir after July 8 was no more than street nose.
"In 2008, 60 to 70 people were killed and for one month street noise continued. 2010, it continued for three months, 122 people were killed and now it has been about a month and 50- 55 people have been killed," she said, adding that these are our children and our people. "If through dialogue the situation in Jammu and Kashmir changes and get normalised, our children could go to school, read and write and good atmosphere is created and JK becomes a bridge between India and Pakistan," Mehbooba further said.
She should have been supported by other Kashmiri leaders. For, what she said was a fact, but they took otherwise. They in one voice criticized her and her government. Some of them even went to the extent of saying that she had turned insensitive.
JKPCC chief GM Mir and former JK CM and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly took the lead and others followed them. "Terming the current situation in Kashmir as street noise (Hullaballoo), chief minister has made an insensitive remark, it is insult to people of state," JKPCC chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir said. He said even after 31 days when more than 55 civilians have been killed and thousands have suffered injuries, Chief Minister was not feeling any heat. "By her today's statement, it seems that she still is waiting when more than 120 people will get killed in the Valley. It also shows how serious is our chief minister towards the problems and situation".
Omar Abdullah, on the other hand said that it had taken more than 50 deaths to disturb Chief Minister. "The amazing thing is that it's taken 31 days & more than 50 deaths to finally "disturb" the Chief Minister," Omar wrote on Twitter. He further tweeted. "So@MehboobaMufti has finally given up on her 'business as usual' act & rushed to Delhi instead".
A was expected, independent legislator engineer Rashid also poked his dirty nose to remain in the limelight and identify with Pakistan and its Kashmir-based agents. He termed remarks of the J&K Chief Minister as colonial and blunt.
"It shows her colonial mindset and a blunt statement. Omar Abdullah would have also reacted in a similar way," he said, added that never any leader of mainstream political party has shown true mirror to New Delhi. "It is unfortunate that mainstream leaders are acting as puppets of New Delhi and they never bothered to look into genuine problems of Kashmiri people," he further said.
The manner in which Omar Abdullah and GA Mir reacted only showed that they were not prepared to face the reality, that they wanted to keep fire burning in Kashmir so that they could take some mileage out of the disturbed conditions in the Valley and that they were not interested in peace.
Mehbooba Mufti has done the right thing by putting things in perspective and describing the happening in the Valley as "street noise". |
