Mehbooba says youths preferring 'militancy over going to jail', bats for dialogue with Pakistan, opening of cross-border roads
Jammu/UNI: Asserting that dialogue with Pakistan and the stakeholders within J&K and opening of cross-border roads will bring the divided parts together, People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said that it can bring peace and an everlasting solution to the problem.
Speaking to reporters here Ms Mufti advised the BJP to take a leaf out of former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee’s book.
She, however, warned that militancy is on the rise in the Valley with more youths preferring “militancy over going to jail” after “no middle path was left and voices of dissent silenced through the muzzle of power”.
“Attempts are being made to vitiate the atmosphere by politics of hatred and division. The people like us are facing problems to live in Kashmir due to an increase in militancy under their (BJP) rule," said the former Chief Minister.
“They (BJP) were saying militancy is finished but the reality is that at least 10 to 15 youth are joining militancy from each village,” she told reporters here in the last leg of her five-day visit to Jammu.
It was her first visit to Jammu after release from 14 months of detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA) following the abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir last year.
She said that PDP wanted J&K to become a bridge of “peace and friendship” between India and its neighbours.
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