PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti has said that due to the trust deficit between Kashmir and GoI, the people of the valley look for support ‘inwards or across the border’.
During a seminar conducted by ORF Mumbai, the former Chief Minister said, ” If any state government is not able to resolve any issue related to the state, they come to New Delhi. But it dosen’t happen in case of Jammu and Kashmir beacuse they don’t have the faith and trust that if we go to Delhi it is going to resolve our problem. They have no where to go so they look inwards or across the border for support.”
Mehbooba said that former PM of India Vajpayee was respected in Kashmir because he took the extra mile.
” When he was invited to Kashmir by my father (Mufti Sayeed) around 30,000 poeple were there to listen to him. That was a big deal in Kashmir as people were there for a BJP leader. Moreover, Vajpayeeji also rose to the occasion after he assured people that he would solve their problem within the ambit of humanity.”
Mehbooba also added that Vajpayee also extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan which was responded positively by General Musharraf.
” From 2002 to 2005, it was called the golden period of Jammu and Kashmir as the CM and the PM were on the same page. they thought alike, their vision was alike. Moreover, there was not a press which would call you anti-national as soon as you would take the name of Pakistan.”
Talking about the role of media, Mehbooba further added, ” Most of the channels, they get bearded ex generals from Pakistan and mustached ex generals from India and then they start combating with each other. And Kashmiris are watching. However, that is neither the face of India nor Pakistan. But that is the only thing we see.”
She further added that what was left half way by Vajpayee and Mufti, she joined hands with the BJP in 2014.
“It was suicide. we all knew that. It was not easy for a party which was called ‘soft separatists’ to join hands with BJP. However, we did as we thought that Narendra Modi will rise to the occasion too. So we invited him to Kashmir and managed to get around 30,000 people. It was unimaginable but we did it.”
“However, Modi didn’t rise to occasion. He didn’t say those things which were expected of him.”
