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| It’s democracy, don’t battle it in jails: Mufti | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Aug 30: After days of watching the noisy politics, in and out of assembly, from a distance the former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today counseled the government to face the dissent in democratic manner instead of packing jails with opponents.
Addressing a public meeting at Anantnag, the assembly constituency of Mufti, the former Chief Minister said that Kashmir can never reconcile to strong arm methods or subversion of democratic norms and therefore withdrawal of forces from civilian areas and repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act was essential for moving forward. ''Sooner we understand this basic truth the better it would be for the state and the South Asia”, said Mufti.
Calling for an immediate release of political prisoners, Mr Sayeed, patron of the main Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said jail was not the battle ground in a democratic system.
''How long and how many will the government arrest for political beliefs?'' he said and added that he had always believed the battle of ideas has to be fought on ideological plane and had practiced that between 2002 and 2006, with dramatic effect on the situation.
The convention passed a resolution demanding revocation of AFSPA, withdrawal of troops from civilian areas and release of political prisoners without delay.
He said the complex nature of the problems of Jammu and Kashmir can be addressed only through a composite approach and the Self Rule vision of PDP provides a workable framework for that.
Mr Sayeed said the strength of rule was in its pragmatism and focus on the real issues that have plagued the life of common man in the state for decades.
''From human dignity to their sense of siege, political disempowerment and economic deprivation, the PDP roadmap could address all aspects of life of the people,'' he said.
''He said the state had suffered a great deal through unfair treatment by others and confused and often self defeating response by local leadership leading the people into a state of perpetual conflict that has eaten up generations. ''We hurtled from political uncertainty to militancy but issues that faced us as a people got complicated rather than nearing any solution,'' he said and added successive generations have had to pay a heavy price for this continued disturbance. This he said could come to an end if the various components of Self Rule are implemented.
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