First get representatives from both sides to sit together: Mehbooba to Shah on bringing back PoK

Srinagar, Jul 27 (PTI) PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti Saturday said Home Minister Amit Shah should make efforts to form a joint committee of people’s representatives from both sides of Jammu and Kashmir to discuss the issues the region faces “till the time you bring that part back”.

Speaking at the 25th Foundation Day function of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), she said, “Amit Shah says he will bring back that Kashmir (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) even as you tell us Muslims to go to Pakistan.”

“But I have a request for you. Till the time you bring that part back, form a committee of the representatives of this Kashmir and that Kashmir, and bring us together. We will sit together twice a year and discuss the issues we face,” the PDP president added.

She asked Shah to put aside his “ego” for the sake of the nation and facilitate a meeting of representatives of the people from both sides of the Line of Control (LoC), similar to what former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee did during his tenure.

“Do you have courage Amit Shah sahib? You keep saying you will bring back that Kashmir. That Kashmir is far, bring 20 of their representatives and 20 representatives from our side and let us sit together,” Mufti said.

“Can you do that? Do you have the courage to do that? Do you have such patriotism in you like Vajpayee that you sacrifice your ego for Jammu and Kashmir?” she asked.

The former chief minister of the erstwhile state of J-K, also called for reopening cross-LoC routes to facilitate trade and people-to-people contact.

She said her father and former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed — “under whose government these routes were opened — wanted to open all cross-LoC routes.

“I want to tell Amit Shah to reopen those routes across the LoC which were opened by Mufti Sahib and which you closed in the name of drugs, even as most of the drugs come via a port in Gujarat and you do not shut that. Restart those routes and open more roads which join J-K with Central Asia,” she added.

Mufti called for the release of youth of Kashmir jailed in various prisons across the country.

“If you say that the situation has improved here, then why are our youths in jails? Even their cases are not heard in the courts. If you have courage, then release them if the situation has improved.

Criticising the Central government over the recent spurt in terror attacks in the Jammu region, the PDP president said the government was busy only in trying to “infiltrate our homes, our institutions”.

“Foreign militants come from outside, infiltrate here, kill our people in Jammu and leave. But, what do you do? You are busy as the BJP is trying to infiltrate our homes, our schools, our institutions, our universities. You are busy in these and the militancy has increased so much in Jammu that people are afraid to go out of their homes. Is this your success? You should act sensibly,” she said.

The solution to J-K lies in Sayeed’s agenda, she said.

“You have to resolve it (J-K) if you want the people not to support self-determination or not to look across, but look towards here, this country,” she added.

Referring to the reports of banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) showing willingness to contest assembly polls, Mufti said it was a welcome move.

She, however, said while she was in power in an alliance with the BJP, the saffron party used to accuse her of supporting JeI.

“You banned that JeI which used to run schools. What was I doing for the JeI? I was asked to ban them, but I did not. I was told not to give back the bodies of militants, I said I will not do that. I told them that I will leave the government. Today, you are after the same JeI, begging them to contest elections,” she said.

The PDP chief said she is happy that the JeI will once again return to mainstream politics.

“It is good. We will all fight together for our rights under a democratic system. We will not concede even an inch to them (BJP),” she added.

Lauding her party workers, Mufti said the event should open the eyes of those who say that the regional parties in Kashmir, especially the PDP, support Pakistan, ‘a reference to J-K Police chief R R Swain’s recent remarks that the regional parties in the Valley were responsible for Pakistan ‘infiltrating’ the Kashmir civil society.

Swain also accused the parties of “cultivating leaders of terror networks to further their electoral prospects. Mufti saluted her party workers for continued support.

“You kept courage and supported me, kept party alive, I salute you. Had you not supported me, they had buried our party,” she told her party workers.

At the end of her speech, the PDP chief called upon her party workers to deposit Rs 100 each in the PDP account so the party runs smoothly.