Jammu: People’s Democratic Party President and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti Monday said that militancy has witnessed a sharp rise during BJP rule and youth of Kashmir is preferring to hold guns rather than going to jail.
She also stated that they want Article 370 to be restored in Jammu and Kashmir, adding that BJP will have to return everything snatched from the J&K residents.
Talking to media persons at her party office in Jammu, Mehbooba Mufti said that Article 370 and other provisions of special status of Jammu and Kashmir were not meant for Muslims of Kashmiris alone but for the entire Jammu and Kashmir population and were indeed brought by Maharaja Rule to save the Dogra culture.
“We want Article 370 to be restored and they (BJP) will have to return everything snatched from us on August 5, 2019,” Mehbooba said.
“The darkness that started here post August 05, 2019 has engulfed Jammu also and people here are too much worried with the sequence of events,” she further said.
In reply to a question, Mehbooba said that the present government is following an iron-fist policy and whosoever speaks against them is being pushed to jail.
“It is only because of such highhandedness of the government that youth in Kashmir is preferring to hold guns rather than going to jail forcibly and militancy has also witnessed a rise in BJP rule,” she further said.
Replying to a query about her controversial remarks over holding the national flag, Mehbooba said that she took oath of both Jammu and Kashmir’s constitution and constitution of India and will hold both flags together.
She further asked the Government of India to learn from foreign policy adopted by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and to restore normalcy on borders with Pakistan where innocent people are dying due to firing.
“I reiterate the slogan of Late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for opening of more and more border routes on Indo-Pak borders,” she said, adding that Late. Mufti upheld the national flag in Jammu and Kashmir at a time when he was socially boycotted.
While hitting hard over BJP and Government of India, the former chief minister said that even the sand and clay from rivers of Jammu and Kashmir are being snatched while the people here in the Union Territory are being forced to buy the sand at exorbitant rates, which is the cause of anti-people policies of ruling regime
