Kashmir cannot become Afghanistan or Syria; Kashmiri Pandits a collective responsibility: Mehbooba

Asserting Kashmir cannot become Afghanistan or Syria, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday stressed the need to create an environment of peace and normalcy in the state and defeat those trying to create wedge between different communities.

“It is our collective responsibility (bring back KPs to the Valley). Today I feel threatened to observe Kashmir. It (KP’s return issue) is being exploited everyday in Kashmir.  Their aim is something different. Kashmir is a Kashmir and cannot become Afghanistan or Syria”, Mehbooba said.

Mehbooba, who was addressing members of Assembly on grants of her departments today, said “It is a paradise how can we allow it to go like that”.

Terming Jammu as a live example of Kashmiriyat, she said it is reflected from an environment in which a Kashmiri Pandit, a Kashmiri Muslim, a Dogra and a Gujjar are seen walking together on the roads.

“This was seen in Kashmir at one point of time and this is now rarely seen in Kashmir. This is where you need Article 370 to protect this composite culture and this civilization, so that nobody hurts this kind of civilization. Jammu is now live example of Kashmiriyat and composite culture”.

“Hundreds of people were dislocated due to emergence of militancy in Kashmir valley and settled in various parts of Jammu and some of in the camps but nobody from Jammu raised a voice that there was demographic change in Jammu”, she said.

Chief Minister said “But there are some elements among us who are trying to create wedge between communities and weakens the spirits of Kashmiriyat by always crying about demographic change in Kashmir”.

“That is why I want to tell you that we have to come together to create an environment of peace and normalcy in the state”, she said.

On the issue of Donald Trump’s Visa ban issue, Mehbooba said “we are Muslim majority state. A separate message should go from this House on the decision of Donald Trump to ban Visas on Muslim countries that people from their countries should not enter US”.

Chief Minister said “Our children do not carry guns when they go to the foreign countries. They go there to serve as doctors, engineers and scientists”.

“But today in the entire world, the image of Islamic countries is very bad. I feel that we people and our endeavor should be that our Kashmiriyat, our true Islam-the Sufism should not be consigned to this politics”, she added.