Srinagar: The wrong measures taken by the BJP-led central government are responsible for the “worsening” situation in Jammu and Kashmir, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said on Friday after visiting the family of a school principal who was killed here yesterday.
With seven civilians killed in five days in the Kashmir Valley, Mehbooba demanded that accountability be fixed for the repeated security lapses.
“The situation is worsening day by day and the BJP government is responsible for it. It’s wrong steps and measures taken since August 05, 2019, (abrogation of Article 370) and before that as well, are directly responsible for the fast worsening situation in Kashmir,” Mufti told reporters outside Kaur’s Aloochi Bagh residence.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief visited Kaur’s family to express her condolences and sympathies.
“She has two little kids… Where will they go? Our Sikh brethren have been with us and supported us all these years in our tough times. They have also been attacked, which is highly condemnable,” she said.
Taking to Twitter, Mufti said heads should roll over the repeated security lapses.
“Everyone here is living in an atmosphere of suppression & fear. Heads must roll & those who are at the helm should be held accountable for these repeated security lapses,” she tweeted.
The PDP chief claimed it has been established that security agencies had prior information about such attacks.
“Yet they failed to protect these innocent lives. Is it because they are too busy devoting all their energies to firing government employees & impounding passports of common Kashmiris?” Mufti said.
“Even until yesterday, the security grid was completely immersed in organising normalcy picnic tours & horseback riding for visiting ministers. Perhaps these attacks could have been averted if their sole focus wasn’t these ministerial visits & normalcy acrobatics,” she said.
Mufti claimed her party tried to take out a unity march in view of the killings but was stopped by the police.
“Ironically, GOI spreads canards that Kashmiri Muslims don’t stand up for minorities here. Truth is that this vicious hateful propaganda suits BJP’s electoral narrative & prospects,” she said.
Meanwhile, the PDP on Friday demanded the resignation of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha over the recent civilian killings, saying the administration has “failed” to provide a sense of security to the people.
The situation in the Union Territory is alarming and these incidents have exposed the “false” narrative of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir, PDP chief spokesperson Suhail Bukhari told a press conference here.
“One thing is clear from the incidents (civilian killings) that have taken place in the last few days that the situation is getting worse. The people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially in the Valley, do not feel safe,” Bukhari said.
“We have condemned these incidents in the strongest terms, they are anti-humanity and anti-Kashmiriyat,” he said.
Bukhari also said that the overall situation in Kashmir is “alarming” and the government of the day is responsible for it.
“So, for its (administration’s) failures, for not being able to protect the people, for the worsening situation and for working against the people, the PDP demands that Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has no moral authority left to continue and he should resign. He has failed in his work to provide security and development,” he said.
The PDP chief spokesperson said the situation demands that questions be asked to the government.
“It is now two years since the unconstitutional and illegal decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and the Union Territory is under the direct control of the Union home ministry. The situation today tells you about their performance in these two years,” Bukhari said.
In 2019, the Centre had revoked the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and divided it into union territories of Jammu and Kahsmir and Ladakh.
“Question arises that who will take the responsibility for the bloodshed that is taking place on the roads and lanes of Kashmir. Who is answerable for this? What are the security apparatus and the intelligence agencies doing? What is the government of the day doing? The responsibility clearly lies on the government of the day and so the need is to make them answerable,” he said.
Claiming that the situation a few years back was not how it is today, Bukhari said since the government’s control has been from Delhi, the situation has been “worsening”.
“There is no sense of security, be it among the minority community or the majority community. They used to say Article 370 was the biggest hurdle in achieving peace here and so it had to be removed. They used to say that the political parties here were a hurdle and they were sidelined. They should be asked today then who is responsible for the situation getting worse,” he added.
The PDP leader said such incidents have “exposed the false narrative” about normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir or the end of militancy or that everything is under control. The narrative was created and the whole country was lied to by the governments here and in Delhi, the PDP spokesperson said.
Appealing to the people to be united and fight the situation together, Bukhari said these incidents were being done to target the communal harmony and brotherhood in Kashmir.
Later, PDP workers staged a protest from the party headquarters near Sher-e-Kashmir Park and tried to match towards the city centre Lal Chowk here.
However, police scuttled their move and did not allow them to proceed towards Lal Chowk.
