• Source:JND

Jammu And Kashmir:  PDP chief and former Chief Minister of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state, Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah to form a joint committee of people's representatives from both sides of the border to discuss issues people face, till he brings back the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Mufti, who was speaking at her party's 25th foundation day, took a jibe at the Home Minister saying that though he talks about bringing back Kashmir (PoK), he tells Muslims to go to Pakistan.

"Amit Shah says he will bring back that Kashmir (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) even as you tell us Muslims to go to Pakistan," the PDP chief said.

"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," she added as quoted by PTI.

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She urged Shah to set aside his "ego" for the nation's benefit and arrange a meeting of representatives from both sides of the Line of Control (LoC), much like former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee did during his time in office.

"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 ex-chief minister of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir has urged the reopening of cross-Line of Control (LoC) routes to enhance trade and foster people-to-people connections. She mentioned that her father, the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who also served as chief minister and under whose administration these routes were initially opened, had a vision of opening 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.

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Criticising the Central government for the recent surge in terror attacks in the Jammu region, the PDP president accused the government of focusing solely on "infiltrating our homes and 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, and 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.

(With agency inputs)


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