At the recently held first-ever business conclave here, the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti advised the business community to ponder over closure of commercial establishments and trade outlets when any dignitary from New Delhi visits Kashmir. Virtually asking traders and business leaders not to pay heed to separatists Chief Minister in veiled attack on separatists said “We close our shops and doors when somebody from New Delhi comes to Kashmir but then afterwards we go to them asking for money. It becomes very difficult for the government to plead cases as they (Centre) talk about it. Debating among themselves why Kashmiris pelt stones on tourists when the central government is allocating so many funds for them.” Unfortunately Chief Minister did not utter even a singl word about his statements she was consistently issuing as leader of the opposition against Omar Abdullah government during 2010 summer unrest. Chief Minister can’t dispute the reality that security of life and property is the first concern of the people anywhere in the world but like the previous government the incumbent government headed by Mehbooba Mufti has not taken care of the concerns of the people about their security of life and property. Had Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti mentioned even a single word about the her government’s failures in stopping the intervention of police, paramilitaries and army inside the campuses of schools and colleges last year and earlier this year, then she would have find lot of takers over her advice to trading community to stop shutting down their establishment on the eve of the visits of dignitaries from Delhi. Chief Minister herself knows that shutdowns on the eve of the visits of dignitaries from Delhi have not been observed only during the reign of her government but for the last thirty years the dignitaries of the central government visiting Kashmir are greeted with shutdown just to remind them about their concerns on the life and property of people. Question can be asked that why traders would stop shutting down their outlets on the eve of the visits of dignitaries from Delhi when their children were being killed and blinded with pellets and bullets this year and last year.
Attempts of politicians in power to drag business leaders and traders into an unwanted political controversy are never welcome and instead evoke criticism and condemnation from people of all hues. Chief Minister’s unwanted remark has triggered an unwanted row and at the centre of this controversy are the traders who have to do nothing with the visits of dignitaries from Delhi.
To facilitate the restoration of trading activities in Kashmir valley the sense of security among people in Kashmir has to be restored first. Silence and no response to Chief Minister’s utterances was itself an indication that people are concerned more about their security of life and property and less about the economic concessions including free flow of funds from the central government for industrial and developmental activities. Attempts of politicians in power to drag business leaders and traders into an unwanted political controversy are never welcome and instead evoke criticism and condemnation from people of all hues. Chief Minister’s unwanted remark has triggered an unwanted row and at the centre of this controversy are the traders who have to do nothing with the visits of dignitaries from Delhi.
