Srinagar, February 14, 2022 (PPI-OT):In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti has said India has to talk to Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir dispute, which has not gone away with the abrogation of Article 370. Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, she said she was conscious that she would be labelled as anti-India for talking about the dialogue with Pakistan “because whoever speaks against the BJP or its agenda or even (Nathuram) Godse, will be labelled anti-India.”

The Modi government will have to talk to its neighbouring Pakistan today or tomorrow or some other day to resolve the issue of Kashmir and to stop the bloodshed, Mufti said. To the question that New Delhi had denied talking to Pakistan on J and K and instead wanted to talk about Azad Kashmir, she said, “First, they (BJP) should talk about China making inroads into Ladakh day-by-day.”

“That (AJK) is also a part of this J and K and not of Pakistan. The ceasefire worked after India and Pakistan talked to each other. They are shying from accepting that they are talking to Pakistan. After all, their biggest leader (former Prime Minister) Vajpayee went to Pakistan, Modi went to Pakistan, so they will have to talk to them and there is no other alternative,” she said.

On the arrest of journalists, Mufti urged international bodies to raise voices for their immediate release. “No one is feeling safe. Journalism is seen as a crime and truth is being throttled. Many journalists including Sajad Gul, Fahad Shah and others are behind the bars. Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said the situation has deteriorated in Jammu and Kashmir, post abrogation of Article 370 and no one is feeling safe be that a common man or a journalist.

Mehbooba, said, “Journalism is seen as a crime and truth is being throttled. Many journalists are behind the bars. Many have fled Kashmir after being named in FIRs. How can things work and truth prevail in such conditions?”

She urged international bodies to raise voice for the immediate release of journalists arrested in Kashmir. “After August 5, 2019, the situation is deteriorating in Jammu and Kashmir day-by-day. People are being disempowered and robbed of their rights,” Mehbooba said.

She said that the delimitation report was a part of policy to weaken the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Delhi government is trying to divide people of Jammu and Kashmir on sectarian level. PDP will fight for the rights of the people tooth and nail,” she said. In Delimitation report, the PDP chief said, they have merged areas, which did not have any relevance, with each other.

The former Chief Minister said India was not running on the Constitution, but on BJP’s agenda. “We will resist every move of them… the destruction they have started in Jammu and Kashmir. We will not allow them an easy way to move forward. PDP’s agenda is that Jammu and Kashmir is a political issue and they (BJP) are trying to take it on religious lines,” she said.

The PDP chief said, “We see how they (BJP) after 2019 economically, politically and socially weaken the people of Jammu and Kashmir and divide them in sections, besides disempowering them. Our rights, powers have been grabbed. Rather than providing jobs, the employees are being shown doors.”

She said recently, thousands of posts, which were sent to the public service commission before 2019, were withdrawn and those who had applied for these posts, were the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir.

She said, “Unless India understands and settles the issue of Jammu and Kashmir politically, by way of dialogue, the situation will not improve, rather it will further deteriorate in the region. “The Government of India has to talk to Pakistan, if not today, tomorrow or day after, on the Jammu and Kashmir issue to settle it and to stop the bloodshed, which is going on here in J and K,” she added.

Mufti said, “As much as bloodshed is going on in Kashmir, BJP is getting benefit out of it.” She said that India, which was being considered a secular and democratic country, on the Hijab issue, has come into the ‘dock’ in the world with a bad name.

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