Passage to peace & development goes through democracy: Sagar
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar on Thursday questioned why the situation in Jammu & Kashmir was normal for global summits but not assembly elections.
He, according to the NC spokesperson, said this while addressing party functionaries at party headquarters Nawa-e-Subha, Srinagar. “If the situation is so normal to hold such global summits in Kashmir why not elections then? Is posturing on tourism more important than letting the people choose a representative government? It’s being claimed that the government has been focusing on the four P’s for the past four years which entails–Peace, Progress, Prosperity, and people first. Why not democracy? Unfortunately hope for the restoration of democracy in Jammu & Kashmir is dying with the ruling party in no mood to restore it knowing a devastating debacle awaits them. However, the Centre must learn from the past. Only a free and fair election can revive peace-building in the region.”
Remarking on the center’s motto of ‘Development with Transparency’, Sagar said, “How can transparency be ensured in the absence of an elected legislature? There are no discussions on public expenditure, agricultural, economic, and other policy matters. New Delhi must look back on its actions that have led to widespread corruption and administrative apathy in Jammu & Kashmir. It must also introspect on how far its actions have been successful for peacemaking. The ground situation across JK has not transformed. People are dissatisfied with the multiple issues of governance and administration.”
