Srinagar, July 31 (Vijay Kumar) –Indian J&K People’s Democratic Party President(PDP) Mehbooba Mufti on Friday reiterated resolve of her party to push for demilitarization of Kashmir’s civil society, inhabited areas,governmental system and revocation of AFSPA.
Unless that is done,Mehbooba said democratic and civil institutions in the state could not breathe in an atmosphere of total liberty which is the essence of a constitutional system. She said no amount of pressure or gagging efforts on the voices of dissent would work in the present scenario as people of the state have chosen their representatives with an overwhelming mandate and expect them to deliver within the system.
She said her party would continue to raise its voice against excesses of all kinds, denial of fundamental rights and developmental issues in all forums including the legislature.
In a statement on Friday ,Mehbooba said the attempts of the government to use strong arm methods, dictatorial attitude and violent ways to browbeat her party cadres would be met with strong resistance within and outside the state legislature. Condemning the attacks on PDPleaders Muzaffar Hussein Baig and Molvi Iftikhar Hussein Ansari by the NC hooligans Mehbooba cautioned the government of grave consequences of such lawlessness.
She said the party, in spite of government’s repressive measures and unfounded propaganda, would continue to voicethe concerns of people and pursue its agenda adding that the issues it had been raising are of fundamental importance to the social, political and economic fabric of the state. The party, she said, would in no case compromise on them.
She said delay in investigation of Shopian double rape and murder case inspite of the High Court directions was again creating doubts about the intentions of the government.
Calling for speeding up of the investigation and making it more transparent, she said in a statement today that action against officers involved in the cover up should not be the only objective of the probe. The ultimate goal should be to identify and punish the perpetrators of the dastardly act. Mehbooba said people of Shopian particularly and the citizens of the state generally could not be misled by any investigation that is not focussed on punishing the guilty though it was also important that those suspected of cover up and destruction of vital evidence are also brought to the book.
Referring to the long chain of human rights abuse ever since the present government assumed office Mehbooba said it will have to put its act together to restore the shaken confidence of the people in the system.She said,the guilty in all the cases from Gupkar murder to Khigam, including Bomai,Kupwara,Bandipora and about a dozen murders carried out by ‘unidentified gunmen’ need to be solved.
Simultaneously, the law enforcing agencies must be made accountable for every excess committed on a hapless and harassed population.