Two assembly seats should have been reserved for Pandits: Mehbooba
Jammu: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday said reserving two assembly seats for Kashmiri Pandits would have been the biggest confidence building measure for the displaced community before their return and rehabilitation in the valley.
“I believe the biggest CBM (confidence building measure) for (return of) Kashmiri Pandits would have been reserving two assembly seats for them in the valley instead of sending two members of the community through nomination,” Mufti told reporters here.
“By reserving two seats, they would have come for votes and as a result this would have provided both Pandits and Muslims an opportunity to come close to each other. That was the best way to integrate Pandits back in Kashmir,” she said.
The PDP president said there is a need to review the agreement over power projects as “the electricity we are generating is of no benefit to us”.
“That is benefiting the rest of the country. First and foremost our state should be compensated financially for these projects and free electricity should be ensured to poor residents,” she added.
Reiterating her demand for an impartial inquiry into the recent killing of a Gujjar youth, Pervez Ahmad, in police firing in Jammu, the former chief minister said that the government should ensure justice to his family.
“It is not only about Pervez. More than half a dozen tribal youth have died in mysterious circumstances over the past six months. Makhan Din committed suicide in Kathua after accusing police of harassment, three young men disappeared in Kulgam and it was said they drowned in river,” said Mufti.
The PDP president alleged that the lives of Gujjars have been made miserable in Jammu and Kashmir.
“They are not allowed to freely graze their cattle by police and so called (Gav) Rakshakh. They are not Rakshak but demons who are harassing the Gujjars and forcing them out of forests. Justice should be done with Pervez, who left behind a young widow. An impartial probe should take place since police itself said that he was martyred. There should be accountability and appropriate action so that the family is given justice,” she said.