Srinagar, May 2: Reiterating urgency to resolve Kashmir issue, president Peoples Democratic Party Mehbooba Mufti has said the conflict in and about the state had severely restricted its socio economic growth besides resulting in unending humanitarian crisis.
“The failure of India and Pakistan to resolve the dispute over J&K has not only resulted in human miseries of immense nature but has also stunted the growth on social and economic fronts,” Mehbooba told a PDP convention at Beerwah Sunday. It was the first of series the party has lunched to mobilise support for its campaign for peaceful resolution of Kashmir issue.
“The states which learnt tourism from us have become global destinations in contrast to Kashmir, once the only haunt of westerners in South Asia, where it takes a single incident to bring all tourism to a halt,” she said.
Referring to the pathetic financial position of the state and what she termed as ‘shameful dependence on the Centre’, Mehbooba said: “Autonomy or Azadi will have no meaning in such a scenario where the government sends its employees to jail for demanding their salaries.”“This situation can’t be changed unless we get back full rights on our water resources which were bartered away by the National Conference and nobody would return them to us without a peaceful, sustained and focussed people’s movement.”
She said the state could have surplus cash if it was able and allowed by the government of India to harness its water and power resources.
“We can help other states not to speak of providing decent employment to our own youth if only we are allowed the free use of our water and our power projects like Salal, Uri and Dulhasti are returned to us,” she added.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 2 May 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 2 May 2010 18:30:00 GMT
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