Srinagar, Aug 20, KNT: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday questioned the manner in which foreign dignitaries visiting Jammu and Kashmir are being taken around the region, alleging that such visits have been “curated” since 2019 and largely confined to interactions with the ruling establishment.
Reacting to US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor’s visit to Kashmir and his meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba said foreign representatives visiting the region should be exposed to different sections of society rather than being limited to the ruling establishment.
She said that before 2019, foreign dignitaries visiting Kashmir would meet people representing different shades of opinion and society, but alleged that this practice has changed.
Mehbooba also criticized Omar for not raising what she described as the prevailing situation in Kashmir during his meeting with the US envoy.
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She said the Chief Minister should have made Gor aware of what she described as a “choking environment”, referring to restrictions on expression, attachment of properties and termination of employees.
Referring to Pulwama’s Karimabad incident, the previous night, Mehbooba claimed that a religious cleric had been beaten and some youth picked up. She said such developments should also have been brought to the envoy’s attention.
Mehbooba said Omar was correct in maintaining that the problems of Jammu and Kashmir had to be resolved by New Delhi, but argued that this did not prevent him from explaining the situation on the ground to a visiting foreign diplomat.
“Omar chose not to speak about anything,” she said, while maintaining that the Chief Minister should have used the opportunity to explain the situation in Kashmir.
She also questioned the relevance of seeking any intervention from the United States, saying America should not be taken seriously in this context and referring to what she described as the death and destruction caused by US intervention in Iran.
Mehbooba as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust said the present political structure had reduced the authority associated with the office of the Chief Minister, alleging that the BJP had transformed the position from that of a “headmaster” into a “master”.
She said Omar’s approach during the meeting with the US Ambassador had further affected the credibility of the office.
Drawing a contrast with the tenure of her father, former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Mehbooba recalled that despite having only 16 MLAs, he had persuaded then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to pursue dialogue and confidence-building measures with Jammu and Kashmir.
She cited the opening of the Muzaffarabad-Rawalakot trade route and the Mughal Road as examples of initiatives taken during that period.
At the same time, Mehbooba said she hoped engagement with the United States could eventually have an economic dimension for Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in sectors such as horticulture.
She said greater international economic engagement, if it materialised, could provide a boost to the horticulture sector and expand opportunities for the region’s producers. [KNT]
