PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has expressed her dissatisfaction with the BJP’s approach to the Kashmir issue, claiming that the party has reduced it to a mere matter of conducting Assembly elections in the Union Territory. She argued that the issue is much deeper than simply restoring statehood, and has demanded a broader dialogue for reconciliation.
Speaking to reporters at the PDP office, Mufti said, “The BJP has succeeded in reducing the Kashmir issue — for which thousands have died, thousands were orphaned and we suffered losses of billions — to Article 370 and reduced Article 370 to the restoration of statehood and statehood has been reduced to polls.” She highlighted the immense human cost and complex political history surrounding the Kashmir issue, lamenting the BJP’s focus on electoral gains over substantive solutions.
Mufti criticized the growing chorus of political parties advocating for statehood restoration solely after the elections, calling it a superficial approach. “Some parties are rejoicing that elections are taking place and talk about restoration of statehood. It is akin to looking for shoes after amputating the feet. Kashmir is a core issue for the PDP for which we worked in the past. We talk of reconciliation. Limiting the issue just to statehood is an injustice to people,” she added.
Addressing the pre-poll alliance between the National Conference and the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti deemed it a strategic maneuver for power rather than a principled alliance. “It is not an alliance based on principles. It is a seat sharing for power. Look at the seat where the JKPCC president (Tariq Hamid Karra) is contesting, what is happening in Tral. Wherever the NC has left the seat for the Congress, an NC leader is contesting as independent and they have the full support of NC cadres,” she stated.
On the Congress’s decision to name Chaudhary Lal Singh as a star campaigner for the polls, Mufti raised concerns about the party’s approach to sensitive incidents like the Shopian killings of 2009. She pointed out that during the NC regime, instead of punishing the culprits, those who filed the complaint were imprisoned. Comparing this to the Kathua rape and murder case during her own regime, where several individuals were sentenced to life imprisonment and two ministers were removed from the Cabinet for participating in a rally supporting the rapists, Mufti highlighted the stark difference in policy between the parties.
Commenting on the BJP’s election strategy, Mufti suggested that the ruling party’s tactics rely heavily on communal issues such as Mandir, Masjid, and love jihad. She expressed satisfaction that people, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, have countered the BJP’s rhetoric, citing their loss in the Ayodhya seat where the Ram Mandir was constructed. However, she expressed concern that the BJP may not have learned from this defeat.
Finally, regarding BJP leader Ram Madhav’s accusation that the NC and the PDP are using surrendered militants for their election campaigns, Mufti condemned the use of this status as a derogatory label. She asserted that the status of being a surrendered militant should not be used to disparage individuals.
