Abrogation of Articles 370, 35A failed to end political discontent in IIOJK: Mehbooba Mufti
Calls for Kashmir to become a bridge of peace, not a battlefield, between Pakistan and India
Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti has criticized the BJP-led Indian government’s August 5, 2019, decision to abrogate Articles 370 and 35A, saying the move has failed to resolve the political discontent in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and that the people of the territory continue to feel alienated.
According to Kashmir Media Service, speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Mehbooba Mufti said that despite using what she described as its “strongest weapon” by revoking the territory’s special status, the BJP had failed to achieve anything substantial. “Even today, people in Jammu and Kashmir continue to feel alienated,” she said.
Describing the prevailing situation in IIOJK, Mufti said the territory had been turned into an open-air prison, where people were denied the freedom to express their views or hold peaceful protests.
She said the longstanding Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India had deprived the region of its immense economic and strategic potential. “Jammu and Kashmir has become a battlefield; it should instead become a bridge of peace between the two countries. There should be people-to-people contact, communication and open routes,” she said.
The PDP president urged New Delhi to utilise the territory’s strategic geographical location to improve relations with Pakistan and China, revive regional cooperation through SAARC, and transform occupied Jammu and Kashmir into a gateway linking South Asia and Central Asia.
Referring to changing global geopolitical realities, Mufti said “The situation around the world is changing. You have seen how a small country like Iran used its strategic position — the Strait of Hormuz — to bring a powerful nation like the US to its knees. Jammu and Kashmir also has a strategic geographical position,” she said.
She maintained that Kashmir’s geographical location offered immense opportunities for regional connectivity, trade and economic development, provided relations with neighbouring countries improved.
Calling for the revival of SAARC, she urged India to take the lead in promoting regional engagement and making Jammu and Kashmir a hub of investment, connectivity and cooperation.
Mufti said Pakistan currently occupied strategically important position on the global stage. Referring to recent developments, she said, “It is being said that they (Pakistan) stopped the Third World War.” She questioned why Jammu and Kashmir’s own strategic location could not similarly be utilised to connect South Asia with Central Asia for the benefit of the entire region.
