Asserting that gun will not solve any problem, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today hoped Prime Minister Narendra Modi will complete the process started by Atal Bihari Vajpayee to address the state’s problems which she attributed to the “mistakes” by successive central governments, starting from Jawaharlal Nehru.
“You can come for discussion. If this can’t give us any solution, then no gun can get us justice, be it our guns or the guns of the militants. The fault is not with the people of Jammu and Kashmir nor is it with India… the problem has been with the leadership of the state over the years,” Mehbooba said after unfurling the tri-colour on the occasion of 70th Independence Day.
She alleged that the entire national leadership from Jawaharlal Nehru’s time till today is responsible for the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Encounters have taken place in the past and will continue to take place. But I don’t understand what my government’s fault was. I promise that action will be taken against the police and security forces, who went against my directions,” she added.
In her maiden Independence Day address, the state’s first woman chief minister also hoped that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would complete the process started by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to address the issues.
Mehbooba’s comments came against the backdrop of more than a month-long unrest in the Valley triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. More than 50 people were killed and hundreds injured in violent clashes between security forces and civilians.
Reacting on her speech, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday hit out at her for not owning up responsibility for the prevailing situation in the valley since she took over the reins of the PDP-BJP coalition government.
“Between 2009-14 everything was my fault but as of the last 4 months nothing is @MehboobaMufti’s fault (sic),” Omar wrote on Twitter.
