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| Govt treating Shopian as enemy territory: Mehbooba | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar , June 18: The Peoples Democratic Party president, Mehbooba Mufti today termed the assurances of justice to the rape and murder victims in Shopian made by the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh as a relief and said that it further highlighted the “criminal negligence of the government.”
Addressing party legislators and senior leaders here today, Mehbooba welcomed the PM’s and said though late in the day it should stir the state government out of its cover up mode. She said it was ironical that even as the Prime Minister had acknowledged the occurrence of crime against the innocent girls, nobody from the state government had done even as much. The meeting was presided over by the party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Mehbooba condemned the “reign of terror” let loose by the government in Shopian, Pulwama, Manzhama and adjoining areas against civilian population. She said “villages were ransacked, people beaten up and houses damaged by government forces almost every night in the area.” She said, it seemed official instruments had got confined only to guns, batons and tear smoke. “They are treating Shopian virtually as an enemy territory and talking to them only through brute force”, she added.
Questioning government’s sincerity in ensuring a fair and transparent probe, PDP president said the reports that key witnesses were being harassed and held in custody by the police would point to a deep conspiracy to shield the perpetrators. Even the houses of the witnesses were reportedly attacked by security forces and families harassed, she said.
Reiterating her party’s demand for rolling back the draconian laws and demilitarization of civilian areas as a pre requisite to ensuring human rights and resolution of Kashmir problem, Mehbooba urged the party cadres to mobilize people for a peaceful and democratic campaign that is being launched from Saturday.
She said the campaign in and outside the legislature would continue till the objective of the empowerment of civil society and its institutions was achieved.
Mehbooba said the party’s agenda to free the civil society of the forces interference should be seen as a positive intervention on the side of democracy and regional empowerment. “The campaign should not be seen as directed against anybody but it is to channalize the democratic aspirations of a people who have been denied all fruits of a democratic society during the last seven decades”, she said.
The PDP president regretted that human rights bodies and activists, especially the women’s organizations of the country had not responded to the extremely depressing situation in the state.
While the cruel incidents of campus ragging or attacks on pubs had caused outrage at national level, it was unfortunate that no voices were raised for the unfortunate daughters of Kashmir she pointed out. “And when PDP raises the issue of just registering an FIR the party is projected as a threat to security and national integrity”, she added. This mindset, she said had historically been a reason for alienation of the people of Jammu & Kashmir leading to their disempowerment and misery.
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