Mehbooba Mufti – The Kashmir Horizon

Dictatorial Delhi, Submissive Mehbooba

K H News Service — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 19:09:22 +0000

The time when BJP Government commanded and controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is re-experimenting all old conventional methods to restore calm in the state, all options of engagement over Kashmir have been virtually blocked over Kashmir resolution as Modi government is flatly refusing to accept any proposal for engagement with the separatist and tends to dictate conditions to Pakistan for the resumption of bilateral dialogue with focus on Kashmir. Even after witnessing an unprecedented low turnout and killing of nine civilians on the polling day in three districts of Srinagar parliamentary constituency, the Modi government has decided to go ahead with the reschedule bye polls in four districts of Anantnag parliamentary constituency only to sent out a message that New Delhi tends to impose popular rule with more than 5% and less than 10% mandate on about one crore souls in Jammu & Kashmir state. Keeping in view the turn out percentage in both assembly and as wells as parliamentary elections in recent year, the lowest turnout ever recorded in any election exercise in any part of the state shows the intensity of anger and resentment against the misrule of PDP-BJP coalition government headed by Mehbooba Mufti. Though the lowest ever turn out recorded in the recent bye elections in three districts of Srinagar parliamentary constituency was by all standards of understandabilities a referendum over the acceptability of the PDP-BJP alliance for power sharing in the state but the top brass of both PDP and BJP are not ready to accept the verdict of the people against the BJP coalition government in the state. Even after committing itself to work on the agenda of alliance reached with PDP for running a coalition government in Jammu & Kashmir the BJP has hurted and humiliated its ally PDP by laying legal traps over ban on beef, article 370, display of state flag on government buildings and government vehicles in the state high court, Delhi high court and Supreme court.

The hostile leadership in Delhi has failed Mehbooba Mufti to prove herself as a healer, humanist, and a progressive and liberal politician who can bring the political process to immediate fruition.

The autocratic way of working with PDP in running the affairs of the government even on matters related to contentious issues like article 370 and engagement with the separatist leadership in Kashmir has rendered irrelevant not only PDP but also other mainstream political parties sitting in opposition particularly National Conference and Congress. Denying engagement in an extremely hostile political atmosphere and collapse of the law enforcement machinery speaks volumes about the failure of the government in understanding the situation on ground in Kashmir. Irony of the fact is that Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh directly overseeing the Kashmir situation for last more than two months tend to remain committed votaries of RSS scripted policy over Kashmir and unfortunately Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has met with failures whenever she tried to persuade both Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh to work on the agenda of alliance scripted by PDP and BJP for running the affairs of the Jammu & Kashmir government for a full term of six years. Unfortunately Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh during their latest meeting with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti instead of trying to work on the agenda of peace and conflict resolution have decided to work the agenda of imposing their whims and wishes over an angered population unwilling to accept any political dictations from New Delhi. The hostile leadership in Delhi has failed Mehbooba Mufti to prove herself as a healer, humanist, and a progressive and liberal politician who can bring the political process to immediate fruition.

An all weather Mughal Road would make Shopian hub of economic activity: Mehbooba

K H News Service — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 20:31:47 +0000

Srinagar/April, 3: PDP President and Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti Monday exuded confidence that with the construction of the ambitious tunnel on the Mughal Road Shopian and adjoining areas would become hubs of economic activity and social connectivity.
Addressing the Party workers of the district here Monday, the PDP President said ever since the Mughal Road was constructed during the Party’s previous regime, it brought Shopian into limelight as a point of interface between Kashmir and Jammu regions in terms of people’s movement and trade. She said now with the construction of a tunnel on the road, Mughal Road would become an alternative all weather road connectivity between the two regions of the State. She said Shopian being the connecting spot for the two regions would get all the more attention in terms of boost in economic activity and social interactions.
Mehbooba Mufti said Shopian being the producer of some quality strains of Apples would have greater market accessibility for selling its produce once the tunnel on Mughal Road is completed. She said already an independent Tourist Development Authority for Shopian has been constituted and once the tunnel becomes through would give a big push to the tourist circuit in the region comprising Dubjan, Hirpora, Peer ki Gali and other tourist spots in the area.
The Chief Minister said many other major projects like Bijbehara- Shopian road and Kandi Shopian-Mughal Road have been conceived for the development of the Shopian district which would give the area better connectivity besides pacing up its economic activities.
Party’s candidate for Anantnag Parliamentary constituency, Mufti Tassaduq Hussain in his address advocated the need for active engagement with the youth of the Valley. He said unfortunately the local youth have been caught in a maze of despondency and desolation which, he said, ought to be removed by addressing their pain and sufferings.
Mufti Tassaduq said tourism and cottage industries in the State need to be reoriented lest the unique nature of these sectors is lost in the mad rush of commercialization.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Spokesperson of the Party, Dr. Mehboob Baig said National Conference has deviated from the agenda on which it was supposed to work and that is why all the right thinking people have opted for PDP for redressal of their grievances. He said the present leadership of Congress Party also lacks vision and leadership and that is why people of the country and State have rejected them.

Using state plane by CM for flying between Jammu-Srinagar violation of MCC: Omar

K H News Service — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 20:31:11 +0000

Srinagar/April, 3: Using state plane by Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and her cabinet colleagues for flying between Jammu to Srinagar for campaigning in two parliamentary constituencies, going to polls next week, working president of the main opposition National Conference (NC) Omar Abdullah said the Election Commission (EC) must take immediate note.
Srinagar seat is going to polls on April 9 while polling will be held in Anantnag parliamentary constituency on April 12.
Taking to micro blogging site twitter former Chief Minister Mr Abdullah said “ With the capital in Jammu it is indeed a gross violation of the MCC by the CM & her minister to use the state plane to return to campaign”.
He further said “ The EC must immediately take note of this violation of the Model Code & the CM must be made to return to Jammu & fly back by regular flight”.
Whether it is CM’s advisors hosting lunch for senior journalists in Kashmir House Delhi or use of State Plane PDP doesn’t care for EC code, Mr Abdullah further tweeted.
Reacting to recent controvery over working of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Mr Abdullah said “ This doesn’t instil much confidence in current EVMs. Does this mean the EC believes the current crop have been/can be tampered with”.
His reaction came after a tweet said that “New EVMs will stop working if tampered with”.

Mehbooba in the company of intolerants

K H News Service — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 19:55:16 +0000

Though Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was expected to start her welcome address on the eve of the inauguration of Chenani-Nashri Channel with the demand for engagement with the separatist leadership but she stung a surprise by starting her welcome address with congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on BJP’s landslide victory in Utter Pradesh assembly elections. Knowing that the selection of a non conventional parliament member and a leading proponent of “Hindu Rashtra” Yogi Adityanath as Chief Minister has shaken the faith of muslims in the intents of the top BJP leaders including the likes of party president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Though the communal intents of the handpicked non conventional Utter Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath came to the fore with the decisions of ban on slaughter houses , renaming of “Urdu Bazar” as “Hindi Bazar” and similarity in postures between “Namaz” and “Surya Namskar” but Mehbooba the Chief Minister of the only muslim majority state of the country lost the courage to tell the Prime that her party regrets the misuse of popular mandate for installation of a man of “Hindu Rashtra” ideology as Chief Minister of Utter Pradesh the most populous state of the country where muslims are in majority in 114 assembly segments.

Mehbooba Mufti is the Chief Minister of the only muslim majority state of the country and as such has a moral and political obligation to talk tough against the intolerance of the present BJP leadership toward minorities particularly the muslims.

Beginning her speech by congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recent victory in Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti preferred extending gratitude and requesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for her tourism promotion over requesting the centre for starting dialogue with the youth of Kashmir. Chief Minister of the only muslim majority state of the country boasted of the opening of the largest road tunnel in India that would bridge the distance between Kashmir and Jammu but she did not propose measures for bridging the gapes between the hindus and muslims in rest of India. Having herself experienced the implication of the religious and regional disparities in Jammu & Kashmir the Chief Minister could have delivered very good sermons on religious harmony in rest of India where muslim community is the second largest majority and first largest minority.
Mehbooba Mufti as Chief Minister has been talking very high about the tolerance shown by the kashmiri pundits after their migration to Jammu and other parts of the country but she did not dare to touch the issue of intolerance the present day BJP leadership is showing in imposing ban on beef and triggering a controversial debate for anti muslim legislation on “Talaq” issue. Mehbooba Mufti is the Chief Minister of the only muslim majority state of the country and as such has a moral and political obligation to talk tough against the intolerance of the present BJP leadership toward minorities particularly the muslims.

Mehbooba’s challenges in election time

Shafqat Bukhari — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 09:54:13 +0000

Shafqat Bukhari

Facing the most difficult challenge of outsmarting her rivals for the first time in her political career , the PDP President and the incumbent Chief Minister Mehobba Mufti is trying hard to restore the confidence of youth in her party by offering several concessions for detained youth. Mehbooba Mufti in election time may offer the review of the cases of youth detained on charges of involvement in stone pelting students but youth can’t forget Mehbooba’s outright rejection of the demand for a judicial probe into civilian killings reported during more than six month long unrest in Kashmir last year. Chief Minister also holding the presidency of her party has all reasons to promise review of the cases of such detained youth who have been arrested on charges of involvement in stone pelting incidents ahead of polling in Srinagar and Anantnag Lok Sabha constituencies. Since National Conference President and three time former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, himself a candidate of the opposition NC-Congress alliance from Srinagar parliamentary constituency, is trying hard to generate a sympathy wave for himself by giving the people a notion that he was fighting the last election of his political career and stands for the resolution of Kashmir issue through dialogue with joint separatist leadership and the Government of Pakistan, the incumbent Chief Minister and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti is trying hard to neutralize Farooq Abdullah’s abortive attempts to generate an anti-incumbency wave against the PDP candidates in both Srinagar and Anantnag parliamentary constituencies .

Though even naives can understand the compulsions of Mehbooba Mufti in divorcing the agenda of soft separatism during the campaigning for ongoing bye elections to Srinagar and Anantnag parliamentary constituencies but outsmarting her rivals in presence of increasing factionalism within her own party has become a much bigger challenge for Mehbooba Mufti now more driven by the compulsions of coalition politics than the conveniences of vote bank politics.

The bigger challenge for Mehbooba Mufti is to settle scores over opposition NC-Congress alliance amid increasing chaos and law and order disturbances triggered by massive protests near the encounter sites and unprecedented increase in the encounters across Kashmir. While running a coalition government with BJP it is difficult for Mehooba Mufti to use the language of separatists the way her rivals including the likes of Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Tariq Hameed Kara are using. Unlike Farooq Abdullah the PDP President Mehbooba Muftii is seeking votes for her party candidates on developmental planks and restoration of peace in absence of any possibility of central government’s engagement with the separatist leadership and resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue process with focuss on resolution of Kashmir issue. While Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah are arousing popular passions, the PDP president and the incumbent Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti does not find herself in a position to counter the campaigning of Abdullahs’ on separatist agenda. Though even naives can understand the compulsions of Mehbooba Mufti in divorcing the agenda of soft separatism during the campaigning for ongoing bye elections to Srinagar and Anantnag parliamentary constituencies but outsmarting her rivals in presence of increasing factionalism within her own party has become a much bigger challenge for Mehbooba Mufti now more driven by the compulsions of coalition politics than the conveniences of vote bank politics

CM for technology transfers in horticulture to boost produce, increase shelf life

K H News Service — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 20:14:18 +0000

Srinagar/March,31:Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti has stressed on more technology transfers in horticulture sector to boost the produce and increase the shelf life of fruit.
Chairing an appraisal meeting regarding various technology interventions in vogue in horticulture sector around the world, the Chief Minister said with the adoption of new technologies and discoveries, the scale and scope of horticulture industry in the State could be increased by a great measure. “From planting of saplings to fruit harvesting, these new technologies once used with precision would not only increase the yield and capacity of the plants, but also increase the shelf life of the fruit thereby increasing the marketability of the fruit”, she told the meeting.
Mehbooba Mufti specifically quoted the example of High Density Apple trees which she said have the potential to revolutionize apple production in the State. She said the State Government with the sole objective of improving the per unit yield of apple launched the scheme early this year and hoped with its efficient adoption the scheme would give optimum results.
The Chief Minister underscored the need for adopting latest post harvest technologies in horticulture, particularly apple, so that the time from harvest to market is increased thereby fetching the fruit good returns in market.
Minister for Horticulture, Syed Basharat Bukhari informed the Chief Minister about various steps the Department has been taking to incorporate the emerging technologies and interventions in the field to increase the fruit production and extend the shelf life of fruit after it is harvested in the field.
On the occasion, the meeting was briefed about various technologies in vogue in USA, Canada and other European countries as a result of which the fruit quantity and its shelf life have been enhanced considerably.
Secretary, Horticulture, M. H. Malik and some members of scientist community were present on the occasion.