TILAK AZAD
Jammu: Making Jammu and Kashmir a part of India was the bold and a historic decision of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and Maharaja Hari Singh, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Friday.
In her 45 minutes address in the Upper House, She urged people of the state to respect India as a nation and not to distance itself from the rest of the country.
“The state’s development will be hindered if it did not show faith in the Indian constitution.”
She also asked, “If we don’t believe in the constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, if we don’t believe in the country’s constitution, then what do we believe in? Then what are you going to get? Where will you get anything from?”
Like in lower house, Mehbooba said she wants to put it on record that whatever the people of Jammu and Kashmir would get, they would get it only from India and nowhere else. “I request both India and Pakistan to help the people of Jammu and Kashmir come out of this mess and protect our jawans by finding solutions, holding dialogues and becoming friends,” she said.
Terming appointment of Dineshwar Sharma, with the rank of Cabinet Secretary, as interlocutor “major decision”, she said he has been tasked to undertake sustained dialogue in the state. She maintained and hoped that people from different shades of opinion would join the consultation process initiated by the Interlocutor and it moves ahead with positivity. “We can’t force anyone in undertaking sustained dialogue in the J&K,” she said and appealed all shades of opinion in the state and the country to come forward and help in the getting the state out of present uncertainties and bloodshed.
“I am happy that we have decided to grant amnesty to first time offenders) also, roughly making it to around nine thousand”, she maintained in the Upper House.
Expressing concern over joining of youth in militancy, Mehbooba said, “It is a serious concern for us over receiving the reports of youth joining militancy in the valley and appreciates those parents who motivated and convened their wards to shun such activities.”
Referring to implementation of GST in the Jammu and Kashmir State, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said, “Ours is the most empowered assembly in the country. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) was implemented in the entire nation at once, except Jammu and Kashmir, where it was implemented only after a proper debate in this assembly.”
Pitching strongly for re-opening all historic routes in the State, the Chief Minister said given its strategic local, Jammu & Kashmir can become a gateway to Central Asia. “We can’t change history. But let us use our geography to write a new history,” she told the House while making a case for opening of more routes across LoC.
Stressing upon the Government of India to take account of J&K State as part of Silk Route, Mehbooba said, “Jammu & Kashmir has a strategic location which should be exploited for positive and gainful results. Why can’t we be gateway to Central Asia? We should be part of the Silk Route. Let us explore the opportunities of Tashkant, Kashgar, Iran etc. which have been the historic routes through which Islam came to Kashmir. It was this tolerant Islam which groomed us to think on rational and humanitarian lines while deciding our fate in 1947. Let us go back to our routes.”
She said US had tried to grab Afghanistan in the pretext of opening of such corridors in the region but didn’t succeed whereas the China has availed this opportunity which is a collection of infrastructure projects that are currently under construction throughout Pakistan. “Now, time to go back to our routes. Why can’t we be gateway to Central Asia?”
Appreciating the meeting between National Security Advisors of India and Pakistan, Mehbooba Mufti said she wishes normalisation of relations between the two countries. Mehbooba said she wants the state to become a bridge of faith and trust between the two countries.
She also stressed upon Pakistan to initiate bilateral dialogue with India to maintain peace and harmony in the state of Jammu and Kashmir as well as in Asia.
For their social inclusion and integration, the Chief Minister said the pellet victims whose vision got impaired were given financial assistance and even the jobs. “Unfortunate, it should have not happened. We tried to rehabilitate them. We are still on it. Pellet victim Insha was given Gas agency to stand up on her feet”, she informed the House adding that these persons would be given special training in collaboration with a local institution so that they don’t have to depend on anybody for rest of their life.
Chief Minister further enumerated several developmental initiatives taken by her government and added that two AIIMS and two Smart cities are being developed in the State, 87 model hospitals are being constructed.
