Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti pitched for good Indo-Pakistan relations and hoped that later follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advice and jointly fight poverty rather than fighting with each other on borders.
“Recently in a television interview, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that both India and Pakistan should fight the joint enemy of poverty, join the race of development,” she said and added, “I hope the leadership in Pakistan would follows PM’s advice seriously,”
The chief Minister said this in state Legislative Council, after intervening during the Question Hour, when members discussing construction of bunkers and land at saver place for border dwellers, an official handout said.
“It is shameful and unfortunate that bunkers need to be constructed when the world has moved far ahead but we are going back to ‘stone age’,” she said.
“Pakistan and China share borders with almost entire country but it’s our bad luck that we (Jammu and Kashmir) stuck in the middle, our state is worst sufferer of hostilities, she said.
“We (India and Pakistan) have common problems like poverty and development, but our heads hang in shame, when we have to provide bunkers and bullet proof ambulances instead of good schools and hospitals,” she said.
The chief minister also said death and destruction were not restricted to this side of border alone but to the other side as well.
“Fighting poverty together is the way forward rather than fighting with each other and using energies to destroy each other,” she said and hopes Pakistan follows and responds positively to what Modi stated.
Stressing that both the countries have to live like peaceful neighbours, she said then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee signed ceasefire agreement, its need of hour to go back to the times of Vajpayee and ensure peace on borders.
However, the Chief Minister also said that government is committed to provide bunkers to save lives of the people.
“Providing save shelter to border dwellers is our prime duty but loss of studies of children due to firing and shelling by Pakistan cannot be compensated,” she said.
“Bunkers and 5 Marla land at peace stations are temporary solutions, for long term solution India and Pakistan have to learn to live together,” she said.