Srinagar, Sept 20: The Peoples Democratic Party Sunday accused the Jammu and Kashmir government of trying to sabotage the all-party delegation visit to Kashmir by clamping stringent curfew across the Valley. The party threatened to review its decision to meet the delegation if the “repression on ground” was not ended forthwith.
“The state government is sabotaging the New Delhi’s initiative of sending the all-party delegation to the Valley. It has imposed strict curfew across the Valley to silence the voices of dissent and try to create a situation where only the mainstream and government-sponsored groups are able to meet the delegation,” said the PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti while addressing a press conference here.
She said there was no justification for the government to impose curfew on Sunday, especially when there was no strike or protest call announced by the separatists. “There was no call for protests or strike (by the separatists) but curfew has still been imposed for 72 hours," Mehbooba said, asserting that the state had “declared a total war against the people” by hampering their routine work.
In a veiled threat to the central government, Mehbooba said if the “repression on ground” is not ended, the party would reconsider its decision to be a part of the delegation visiting Kashmir on Monday. “The repression on ground has forced us to rethink on being a part of the initiative,” she said, adding that curfew would defeat the very purpose of the visit. “And if the members of the civil society and those voices of dissent and the common people are not allowed to meet it, it would be a flop show,” she said.
Mehbooba said the PDP MLAs were not able to reach the party headquarters. “Nobody would go to meet the delegation while being insulted at every nook ad corner as strict curfew has been imposed," she said, terming the visit of the delegation as a delayed response from the Central government. “The mainstream parties including the government have already put forth their points of view before the Centre. The other voices also need to be heard to get the true picture of the situation in Kashmir," she said.
Mehbooba described the state government as body on the ventilator. “It (government) is out to destroy the people and every institution that comes its way,” she said, referring to reports of police and CRPF disallowing medical emergencies to hospitals, barging into houses and beating inmates, stopping medicos from discharging their duties and thrashing the farmers who are busy with the harvesting season.
"The Government is playing a Twenty20 match by provoking a harder response from the separatists. This government has become a red rag for the bull," she said, categorically dismissing the reports that the protests across the Valley were instigated by any group of a country. “It is an acknowledged fact that there is a Kashmir problem, the situation has been aggravated by the mishandling and mis-governance by the state government,” she said, when asked how the Kashmir crisis spiralled out of control. "There is a mass anger in Kashmir which has been precipitated by the mishandling of the situation by this government. There were lot of expectations after 2008 elections but people have been let down.”
Asked if the present anger on the streets was directed against the state government or the Centre, she said the state government has brought the people of Kashmir in direct confrontation with not only the Centre but the entire nation."

Lastupdate on : Sun, 19 Sep 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
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