Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti Sunday said Kashmiri women have showed great courage and dignity while dealing the worst kind of turmoil during the last two decades. This was stated by her while speaking in a women’s’ convention at Meerakshah Colony of Hazratbal area of Srinagar.
According to a statement issued to KNS, she said the women are the first and the worst suffers of any conflict in the world but credit goes to the women of Kashmir who faced these turbulent times with great courage and dignity. But as a result of conflict, misgoverance and corruption, the problems of women have increased manifold.
She said National Conference government which came into power in 1996 on the promise of providing security to the people and restoration of autonomy joined hands with BJP for a ministerial birth for Omar Abdullah. This unholy alliance, she said, did not benefit people of J&K rather deprive them off their many resources like Shahtoos, which was banned by Omar Abdullah on the instance of Manika Gandhi. By doing so, the NC has served a death blow to the centuries old entrepreneurship and high value craft of Kashmir rendering thousands of people in Srinagar jobless. Not only this, the NC government handed over the seven most feasible power projects to the NHPC leaving the state high and dry.
She said the same Manika Gandhi, on whose directions NC went on to make thousands of people jobless, is now demanding that pellet guns may not be used against dogs, but the chief minister, Omar Abdullah is projecting the use of pellet guns in Kashmir as a mercy for Kashmiris. She said till now, with the result many young men have lost their lives, hundreds have been rendered handicapped and dozens have lost their eye sight. Quoting a study conducted by SKIMS, Soura, Mehbooba said only in 2010, pellet guns have killed six persons and injured 198 in Kashmir.
Recalling the promises made by NC in 2008 elections like ‘Meter Todo, Heater Lagao ( Break Meters, Use Heaters), free power, jobs for all, reduction in cost of cooking gas etc. , she said none of these promises have been fulfilled. Contrary to this the power situation has gone bad to worst in spite of the fact that power tariff has been increased five folds; jobs are on sale including post retirement jobs for likes of Mushtaq Peer.
Mehbooba assured the women that their empowerment and fulfillment of their needs will be the priority of her party. She added unlike the previous MPs be it Omar Abdullah or Farooq Abdullah, whose aim to win parliamentary polls was to get a birth in BJP and Congress government respectively, the present PDP candidate for Srinagar parliamentary polls, Tariq Hameed Karra will serve the people with all his capabilities. “He will be available to the people and try to serve them and enhance their self-respect and dignity unlike Farooq Abdullah, who called Kashmiris as ‘Maha Chors’, she said.
She said NC is also responsible for the disempowerment of Legislative Assembly and its prestige, dignity was compromised when the NDA tossed the Autonomy resolution into dustbin, which was passed by the legislature unanimously, but they still continued their services with them. She said Saif-u-Din Soz was thrown out of NC, when he voted against the Vajpayee government in 1998. “So much was intolerance and intensity of relationship that they threw out their senior colleague, because he voted according to his conscience,” she said.
She said Dr Farooq crossed all limits to please Narender Modi and other leaders of NDA. “Only couple of years back in Ahmadabad, Dr Farooq said ‘he can see Allah in Modi’s eyes’,” she said and added during Gujart riots he not only praised Modi, but they continued to be part of NDA which speaks loud about NC’s thirst for power. She said during 2010 summer agitation, when Dr Farooq Abdullah was asked about the killings on the streets of Kashmir, which his chief minister son was supervising, he had replied: ‘Kashmiriyoun Ko Goli Maro’ (Shoot Kashmiris with bullets). But they still maintain this holier-than-thou stance and shamelessly go to people to seek votes.
She said when elections are round the corner and unfortunately the only milestone left by NC led government are Shopian rape and murder case; 120 youth killings in 2010; mysterious death of Haji Yousuf; Afzal Guroos’s hanging; BOPEE Scam, Drug Scam; backdoor appointment not to forget about the usage of pellet guns, chili grenades, curfews and PSAs against the youth. While addressing the gathering, the senior PDP leader and the party’s candidate for Srinagar parliamentary constituency, Tariq Hameed Karra sought the support of people in the coming elections.
Speaking on the occasion, senior PDP leader Asiya Naqash complimented the women for the kind of support they had given to her all these years. PDP leader, Nayeema Ahmad Mahjoor in her speech said that providing a sense of security to the people will be the endeavor of the PDP.
Others who were present on the occasion include Abdul Hameed Kohsheen, state secretary, Mohammad Khursheed Aalam, party leader, Anjum Qadri, party leader, Nisar Mandoo, party leader and Mohammad Sidiq. (KNS)