Srinagar, December 07, (Scoop News)-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), president, Mehbooba Mufti Saturday said the urge for change in governance system is perceptible from Katua to Karnah and it could come only with a change in the government.
Addressing public meeting at Tangdhar and workers meet in Teetwal in Karnah, she said the PDP considers peace between India and Pakistan as the foundation for resolution of the problems of Jammu and Kashmir, and it would carry forward the reconciliation efforts, if the people give it a decisive mandate in the coming Lok Sabah and assembly elections.
Senior PDP leaders, MLA & District President Ab Haq Khan, Chief Spokesperson & MLC Naeem Akhtar, State Secretary Zaffar Iqbal Manhas, Raja Manzoor, Fayaz Ahmad Mir, Gh MOhd Mir, Javed MIrchal, Khawja Fareed Ahmad, Qari Irshad, Mohd Afzal Wani, MOhd Yaqoob Wani and others were also present and spoke on this occasion.
Mehbooba said areas like Karnah had suffered the most, after the independence, as a result of continued hostility between India and Pakistan.
The iron curtain of the Line of Control (LoC), guarded by two major armies of the world, had resulted in a siege around them and places like Karnah, Teetwal, Uri, Poonch, Gurez had turned into dead ends, after historically enjoying the centrality of their location, she said and added that the shelling and firing across the LoC has made life there miserable.
She said the cease-fire agreement between India and Pakistan in 2003, had brought peace into the lives of people living in the border areas, and it was not restricted to cessation of hostility alone, but was perceived as the essential first step in building peace and reconciliation, so that these artificial borders could ultimately be opened for travel and trade.
“That is why the PDP demonstrated against the recent ceasefire violations, at a time when even the Chief Minister had also tried recommending ‘other options’. As any escalation would not only mean threat to lives and property along the LoC, but it could have shattered the entire progress achieved in the LoC travel and trade and other Confidence Building Measures (CBMs), which we see as part of a grand vision, for virtual reunification of the state without changing the borders,” said Mehbooba.
She said PDP during its brief tenure in the government played a pivotal role in getting India and Pakistan close to each other and solid progress was visible on making Kashmir a bridge between the two neighbours. But that whole process was reversed with the arrival of the present government.
She said time has now come that the process of reconciliation is taken to its next level, by implementing the decisions to extend the travel facility to groups beyond the divided families. She said procedures need to be relaxed and to increase more people-to-people contacts, more routes need to be opened. Once that is done, places like Karnah Tangdhar and other border areas would become hubs of trade and tourism activity.
Mehbooba said Omar Abdullah has declared war with every section of the society especially the youth, and it is now up to the people to think and make sure that the insensitive and inept rulers are shown the door.
The PDP president said like rest of the state, the NC has inflicted the system of injustice and exploitation of people in Karnah also. She said the noble people of these areas have been promised moon but nothing has been done to improve the quality of lives.
She said even the IAY assistance and schemes under MGREGA are sold by the NC workers and agents. She said the schemes under PMGSY in Karnah are incomplete because of contractor-politician nexus. And water supply schemes are supplying raw water in absence of filtration plants.
She said NC had made number of hallow promises to the people in Karnah, like launching a special recruitment drive, building of tunnel across the Sadna pass and many other things, but nothing has been done on ground.
She said the Chief Minister’s decision of holding cabinet meeting in Karnah, in May last year, turned out to be an expensive picnic only, as he didn’t look into the issues of people of the area. This government, instead of solving problems of people, is resorting to cosmetic acts for camera and displaying flashy and expensive cars to make their presence felt, she said and added the government is completely missing from the ground.
Improving internal road connectivity is important part of PDP’s agenda she said and assured the people of Karnah that it will construct a tunnel to connect the area with rest of the Valley. Besides that, PDP will also provide round the year connectivity on Mughal road and Kishtawar-Simthan road.
She said it was the PDP’s efforts through which the Centre had promised funds under Prime Minister’s economic package, for constructing a tunnel through Zogila to provide all weather connectivity to Ladakh region.
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