Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President, Mehbooba Mufti has likened the Narendra Modi led Indian government’s illegal actions of August 5, 2019 to an earthquake for occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the tremors of which are still being felt. According to Kashmir Media Service, addressing a public rally at Devsar in Kulgam district, Mehbooba Mufti said what happened in 2019 when the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was scrapped was an earthquake. “The earthquake jolts for some time and stops, but the earthquake that occurs in 2019 have not yet stopped”, she said. “They (referring to the BJP led Indian govt) want to assault our identity; their eyes are on our land and jobs,” she said. “We will not let them control these things. But for that you have to raise your voice.

They want us to surrender, accept defeat. They have pushed us into the river, our job is to stay afloat.” Jammu and Kashmir has become a laboratory where every test is being conducted for the first time, she said. “Don’t remain as silent spectators raise your voices peacefully”, she said and warned “If we could not raise our voices today the time will come the land beneath the feet of the youth would be snatched as such an atmosphere is being created in Jammu and Kashmir”. “The Kashmiri people are dumb-stricken and the Gujjars and Bakarwals are being shunted out from the forests. The time should not come that the people would be also driven out of their homes here”, she warned. Mehbooba said that the IIOJK authorities closed schools in the territory claiming they are built on “kahcharai land”, adding people are being told to vacate land as it is being claimed that the said land is government property.

“What is their (government’s) motive and intentions”, she questioned. Mehbooba said under a policy the Modi government imported cheap apples from America and Iran to sabotage the apple production of Kashmir valley. Efforts are being made to make the people of Kashmir poorer, she said. She said that the youth are being booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) for uploading contents to express their anger on social media and media persons are being booked under UAPA [Unlawful Activities Prevention Act] for writing the truth. She said that about 200 youth have been arrested after a tourist guide was attacked recently in Shopian district. “As the elections are nearer the authorities have started arresting the youth of the valley for their no fault”, the PDP President said.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan