Kulgam, Feb 7: Expressing serious concern over the deteriorating situation in Kashmir, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti the Sunday called for respecting democratic urges of the people to remove alienation. She said the present dispensation has miserably failed to carry forward the process of peace, reconciliation and development, initiated by the Mufti Muhammad Sayeed-led coalition in 2003.
  “What to say of consolidating the reconciliatory and peace initiatives made by the PDP-led government, this dispensation has even reversed by the whole process through its oppressive measures”, Mehbooba said while addressing a seminar on Self-Rule here today.
 “You can not suppress political aspirations and democratic urges of the people of Kashmir by state-terror and oppression”, she said while pointing towards recent incidents of the killing of innocent people especially the teenagers by the security forces. “Need of the hour is to address political aspirations of the people by realizing the ground realities”, she said and added that repressive policies being pursued by the government are bound to fuel alienation and public unrest.
 She said the Self-Rule proposal of PDP was aimed at fulfilling democratic and political urges of the people of Jammu and Kashmir as this document was prepared by incorporating wishes and aspirations of all the regions and sub-regions of the State. 
 PDP chief said Self-Rule suggest opening of all traditional routes to make Jammu and Kashmir a trade free zone as it will help socio-economic growth of the state. She further said that opening of all routes would not only boost economic growth of the people of this region but also facilitate reunification of divided families.
 “Socio-economic growth of the State has been restricted after the partition due to plugging of all the routes connecting Jammu and Kashmir with rest of the world”, PDP president observed and maintained that her party’s proposal suggests opening of all traditional trade routes for the economic growth of this region.
 Pointing towards the ongoing cross-LoC trade, she said that it was all due to the efforts of PDP that this trade was started and this process has boosted economic activities in both sides of Kashmir. 
 Emphasizing on virtual unification of both sides of Kashmir by making the borders irrelevant, Mehbooba said: “PDP in its Self-rule has proposed constitution of Council comprising members from both sides of Kashmir and representatives of New Delhi and Islamabad ”.
 Mehbooba said as per the Self-Rule proposal the Sadar-e-Reyast must be elected and should necessarily belong to the state. The proposal suggests that Article 356 of the Constitution, under which the state governments are dismissed, should not be applicable to Jammu and Kashmir.  “Verdict of people should not be negated by those sitting in Delhi”, she said.
 Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Muhammad Sartaj Madni, Abdul Gaffar Sofi, MLA and Nazir Ahmed Laway, district president Kulgam also addressed the seminar.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 7 Feb 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 7 Feb 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 8 Feb 2010 00:00:00 IST