Anantnag, Dec 28: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday reached out to residents of her home district Anantnag, saying her party’s outreach initiative was aimed at ending what she described as a sense of “suffocation” among people since the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in August, 2019.
Addressing a gathering after the conclusion of the party’s Kath Bath programme in Anantnag town, Mufti said the PDP was not there to make long speeches but to listen to people’s concerns.
“I know since August 5, 2019, everyone here feels suffocated. They have nowhere to go with their problems,” Mufti said. “We are not here to give long speeches, but to listen to your voices.”
The PDP had earlier organised similar outreach programmes in Srinagar, the summer capital, and Jammu, the winter capital of the Union Territory.
People from various sections of society, including traders, civil society members, lawyers and unemployed youth, raised issues ranging from unemployment and rising prices to lack of sports infrastructure and alleged curbs on dissent.
“You spoke your heart out, but still there were several issues you could not express, as voices of dissent have been curbed for long,” Mufti said. “This outreach is aimed at ending that suffocation. I will take forward your concerns on whatever platform I can – whether with the UT government or in New Delhi.”
Mufti said peaceful protest was a democratic right and expressed concern that even that space was shrinking.
“Peaceful protest is our democratic right, whether it is about unemployment, reservation or development,” she said. “But what we are seeing is that even this has been criminalised.”
She cited the alleged prevention of leaders from joining solidarity protests on reservation with students. “Whether it is Aga Ruhullah, Waheed Parra or Iltija, they were not allowed to join peaceful protests scheduled today,” she said.
On the issue of reservations, Mufti said educated youth had every right to express their concerns. “The issue of reservation concerns everyone,” she said.
The PDP chief also opposed any proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union, Chile or the United States, warning it could hurt Jammu and Kashmir’s horticulture sector. She said a similar agreement with New Zealand had already affected local apple growers.
“A deal like this exposes our farmers to unfair imports,” Mufti said. “Flooding markets with imported apples risks destroying the backbone of Jammu and Kashmir’s horticulture.”
She said Kashmir was self-sufficient in sectors such as power and horticulture but was unable to reap benefits. “Even our tourism has suffered a severe blow,” she added.
Mufti said she had been raising issues related to prisoners lodged in jails outside Jammu and Kashmir and the denial of passports to educated youth on the pretext of verifications or adverse reports without any genuine reason.
“Youth also raised the lack of sports academies, whether cricket, football or other sports,” she said. “Others spoke about skyrocketing prices of essential commodities and unemployment. I will take these up with the government.”
She also expressed concern over what she described as harassment of Kashmiri youth and Muslims outside Jammu and Kashmir.
“A Hindu was lynched in Bangladesh and everyone rightly condemned it,” Mufti said. “But here in our country, such incidents have been happening frequently. This has to stop as it damages the secular and pluralistic fabric of our country. Hindus , Muslims and other religions should live in harmony like they do in Jammu and Kashmir
Earlier, a tribal youth raised concerns about displacement and lack of representation. “We don’t have any representative to plead our case, so we request you to be our voice,” he told Mufti.
Another youth emphasized on the need for prison reforms. “Undertrials should not be dehumanised. They are innocent till proven guilty,” he said.
Concluding the programme, Mufti said dissent must have space in a democracy. “We want there to be a place for dissent and for people to be given space to talk,” she said.
She said her party stood for “peace with dignity.”
“What we want is that every Kashmiri should be able to walk with their head held high,” Mufti said. “My father and party’s founder – Mufti Muhamad Syed strived for the same all through his life despite being in opposition mostly. So ,taking a leaf from him, we too have decided to carry forward his legacy rather than waiting for elections.
“What we want is that youth should not be pushed to the wall, so that the situation does not arise where this lava finally erupts.”