JAMMU: PDP, a former BJP ally in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, on Saturday urged the Centre to follow the ‘agenda of alliance’ reached between the two parties in 2015 for a respectable solution to the problems facing J-K, as the saffron party’s Kashmir policy has “failed to yield any results”.
Addressing a presser, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti also advocated a dialogue with the people of J-K before starting talks with Pakistan, claiming that the BJP’s rigid policy has only “silenced the people” of the Union territory where a “volcano is building” that needs to be addressed.
“The developments of August 5, 2019 (when Centre revoked special status of J-K under Article 370 and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two UTs), is completing sixth year. That was the day when J-K was destroyed on the pretext of improving the situation and restoring peace. People were promised rivers of milk and honey,” the former chief minister said.
Mufti said the strict policy adopted by the BJP, which saw thousands of youth being jailed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Public Safety Act (PSA), has “failed miserably”.
“J-K continues to be the flashpoint between India and Pakistan with clouds of war hovering over the region,” she said.
Stating that the situation in J-K has deteriorated over the years, Mufti said, “Earlier people used to come on the streets (to express themselves), but today they are silent… A volcano is building from within.” PDP and BJP worked out the ‘agenda of alliance’ after forming the government in January 2015. The government collapsed in July 2018 after the national party withdrew its support to the PDP. “When we were in the government, we prepared an agenda of alliance. That document is still relevant and needs to be studied for a honourable solution to J-K’s issues” she said.
She said her father and PDP founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had a vision for J-K, and had formed a common minimum programme with the Congress when it formed the government in alliance with the national party in J-K in 2002.
“After that, we worked out an agenda of alliance with the BJP and the only purpose behind it was to get J-K out of the problems it faced.
“It was not simply an agreement between the PDP and BJP, but an alliance between the people of J-K and the rest of the country. It talked about opening (cross-border) roads so that J-K, which was like a cage, could be opened. It was for the transfer of power projects, removal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and other measures to bring peace, progress and prosperity,” Mufti said.
Continuing her tirade against the BJP, she said the party’s “wrong policies” led to an increase in unemployment, criminal activities and loot of natural resources in J-K post August 5, 2019.
“BJP has realised that Kashmir has not changed even after six years of its strict policy. Now my request to the government is to study the agenda of alliance, which will help J-K overcome all the problems and bring Pakistan on the straight path.
“I remember when (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee went to Lahore, Perveiz Musharraf told him to leave the United Nations resolution aside and work out a solution, which will make the people of J-K, India and Pakistan happy,” Mufti said.
The agenda of alliance is a very long document, which is also based on the recommendations of the seven working groups formed by the Congress-led UPA, she said.
“It is not just PDP’s document, but a way out, provided the concerned parties show sincerity,” she said.
The PDP leader also claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoys authority like his predecessors Indira Gandhi and Vajpayee, and he should adopt a humanitarian approach rather than using J-K as a “vote bank”.
“Look at the agenda of alliance document… I feel that Jammu and Kashmir will get a fair solution. J-K will not go anywhere, and continue to live with this country with respect,” she said.
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