Mehbooba wants India, Pak to go back to ‘friendship days’

People of Jammu and Kashmir have been the “worst victims” of bitter relations between India and Pakistan, the chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Sunday, and expressed hope that the present “acrimonious discourse between the two neighbouring countries would give way to a discourse of harmony, peace and friendship.”

Addressing attestation-cum-passing out parade at subsidiary training centre here, Mehbooba said that the people of the state have “suffered a lot due to acrimony, bitterness and hostilities between India and Pakistan.”

   

She hoped that “better sense prevails and both the countries go back to the days of friendship, amity and reconciliation as was witnessed during the regime of AtalBihari Vajpayee when peace prevailed on the borders and the leadership on both the sides ensured that nothing against each other goes out from their territories.”

Mehbooba said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered a lot due to “continued violence of past 30 years.”

“At a time when we should be providing them good schools, hospitals and other amenities of modern life, the demand from the border areas comes for construction of bunkers. This situation has to be changed and the pain and agony of the people of the state should be heard,” she said.

Asking the police to play an “active role” in “furthering the reconciliation process” in the state, the chief minister asked the officers and policemen to be “more humane while enforcing writ of the law on the ground.” She advised them to undertake the role of “parenting” more than that of policing while dealing with situations. 

“It really is a challenge which no other police force in the country has to face,” she said.

Besides these challenges, Mehbooba asked the police force to “rise to the issues of normal policing like drug menace, crimes against women and other issues.” She said that she would advise setting up of drug de-addiction centres in every district, given the enormity of the problem.

The chief minister said that her government is “sensitive” to the problems and difficulties of the police force and “already many major steps like KPS cadre review, enhancement of ex-gratia, increase in the promotion quota of constabulary have been taken by the government.”

Earlier, in his address, director general of police Shesh Paul Vaid thanked the chief minister for “many of the historic steps” taken by her government for the welfare of policemen and officers.

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