Srinagar,December 23 (Scoop News)–Describing the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s admission of “mistakes” in handling 2010 disturbances in Kashmir as meaningless the PDP today said Chief Minister seems to have learnt no lessons from the debacle that cost more than 120 innocent people their lives. Addressing groups of people from different walks of life including ex-servicemen from the valley and youth from Gurez who called on her to join the party , PDP President Mehbooba Mufti said Chief Ministers advice to the central government on handling the current situation that has arisen in the wake of the unfortunate gang rape of a young women amounts to rubbing salt into the wounds of his own people. Mehbooba said the situation in 2010 was also triggered by a single unfortunate incident of police excess that resulted in the death of a young boy Tufail Matoo. “ What followed was an expression of outrage and anger as is witnessed currently throughout the country against atrocities committed on 23 year old girl in New Delhi, but the responses to the two situations have been entirely different forcing the people to conclude that different yard sticks are applied to them which are neither judicious nor democratic”, she said.
Condemning strongly the gang rape of the para medic woman in Delhi where the women folk are feeling increasingly insecure, Mehbooba recalled how a similar incident involving two women in Shopian had been conducted differently. She said even before an inquiry was held the Chief Minister declared that they had drowned in a river that hardly had any water and then managed a cover up that has become too familiar for Jammu & Kashmir.She said those unfortunate women were denied justice and such insensitive responses have resulted in continued alienation of people in Jammu & Kashmir.
Mehbooba Mufti said now that the Chief Minister has accepted his “mistakes” would he still not withdraw cases against thousands of young people who have been framed under serious charges. She said the Chief Minister had made announcements at least on three occasions, the last on Feb 25 this year that cases of stone pelting etc had been withdrawn but it has turned out to be another hoax. “The lie about withdrawal of cases has finally been nailed with the arrest of Zahida of Anantnag, a girl who lost her leg as a result of police firing and arrested on charges of stone pelting” , she said and added that ironically it happened on the very day when the Chief Minister was sharing his wisdom with the central government on tackling the current agitation.
Mehbooba said it looks that the coalition government in Jammu & Kashmir is squeezing the space for expression for youth within democratic system with the objective of pushing them to extreme methods. She said this was evident from the recent revelation that the boy from sopore who was killed in an encounter had been forced to pick up gun as a result of his torture in the wake of 2010 agitation, even though he was not involved in any crime and was pursuing his studies.