Kashmiris seek a new system in Jammu Kashmir! (A Free Kashmir: Random Thoughts- 203)
-DR. ABDUL RUFF COLACHAL
______________________________
Clearly, Kashmiri Muslims are not at all
happy with the outgoing Congress-NC government in
JK and, according to writing on the wall,
are planning to say good bye to them in the poll.
As poll campaigns for the Jammu Kashmir
assembly is underway, the incumbent opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed has asked voters to give a decisive mandate to his
party to complete the unfinished agenda of sustainable peace and inclusive
growth for Jammu Kashmir. Launching his party’s poll campaign from Nagrota
assembly constituency of Jammu district, the former chief minister said these
elections would mark a new beginning in Jammu and Kashmir as people have made
up their mind to establish a new system in the state.
Mufti Muhammad Sayeed said it is the writing
on the wall that change is imminent in Jammu and Kashmir and people of Jammu
and Kashmir are looking towards PDP as only alternative to get rid of present
corrupt, inept system. Mufti claimed the people are eagerly waiting for
the opportunity to teach a lesson to those who are responsible for compounding
their woes “during the last six years”.
Senior PDP leader and MP Muzaffar Hussain
Beigh alleged that the “deceitful” tactics of National Conference (NC)
leadership along with Congress party and BJP were responsible for trust deficit
among different regions of the state.
Sayeed also said his party’s visionary
political and economic agenda has made it to emerge as a genuine, strong and
credible voice of the people of the state. PDP has already laid an implementable
roadmap for addressing the political and economic issues confronting Jammu and
Kashmir and the party would translate the same into reality with the support of
the people
Without naming any party, Sayeed said that
unlike others, his PDP never tried to create regional or religious divide to
reap political benefits. “We tried to reach out to every nook and corner of the
state to win hearts and winds of the people,” he said and added that PDP’s
pro-peace policies were positively reciprocated by the people from every
section of the society.
Sayeed said that the PDP has emerged as
“strong and viable alternative” because there is a “feeling among people that
only PDP has moral authority to govern the state because during its earlier
tenure PDP had proved how to deliver good governance”. “Despite getting a very
short span of just three years in power between 2002 and 2005, PDP had set into
motion a comprehensive process of economic empowerment and infrastructural
development in the state which is to be taken to the logical conclusion,” he
said.
Although
Mufti said Kashmiris are eager to establish a new system in the state, he did
not elaborate on the issue in details. If one puts together the bits of
statements he and other PDP party leaders made in recent times, it seems he
seeks more freedom for Kashmiris in terms in some positive manner, especially
the reduction of military forces (now 700,000 troops) to the required minimum
and end of fake encounters.
Reports
suggest that the Congress, NC and BJP are going to lose and, as it stands
now, PDP would win the polls.
Meanwhile,
the freedom groups led by Hurriet have not yet made any
announcement so far about their joint decision to take part in the
poll as their new collective policy to get a better treatment
from the occupying nation with a formidable military infrastructure as
the minimum step so that perpetual house arrest of Freedom leaders would
end. Clearly, all major players in JK, namely the NC, PDP and even Congress
party, are eager to help the g freedom groups to acquire constitutional
legitimacy to fight for their rights by democratic means. However, if
they are waiting for a signal form Islamabad, that may not be forthcoming as
Pakistanis are in greater trouble than Kashmiris themselves themselves are.
Enough of
meaningless fights with powerful Indian military on false promises made by
others and without credible support from international community!
Already
100,000 Kashmiri Muslims have lost their valuable lives and they have achieved
absolutely nothing.
Irrespective of which party wins the
JK poll, it will be the Indian central government that
calls all shots in JK and elected state government will have to
obey the order form New Delhi. So, if the freedom groups contests
poll and get some seats, at least, that can help
them and Kashmiri Muslims.
.
Time for
freedom leaders to wake up and act and get valuable votes of Kashmiris to
strengthen their political position to make legitimate claims with conviction!
Time will
not wait for them endlessly before they decide.
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