Jammu and KashmirPeoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said the BJP government has failed to control the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and is now arming locals to further its agenda of creating a rift between communities. “Arming people with weapons will only serve the BJP’s agenda of creating an atmosphere of fear, suspicion and hatred. It will pit one community against another,” Mehbooba said. She was speaking to reporters in Anantnag district after paying obeisance at the grave of her father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and founder of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He said the move to provide arms and ammunition to Village Defense Committees in the wake of the Rajouri attack has exposed BJP’s claims that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has returned to normal after the abrogation of Article 370.
Mehbooba, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said, “If that was the case, why would more security personnel be brought into Jammu and Kashmir? Why would the local people be armed?” Situation. Now they want to trouble people and increase bloodshed with these measures.”
The PDP leader said the problems in Jammu and Kashmir needed a political solution and could not be solved militarily.
“No power on earth can win a war against its own people. Jammu and Kashmir is already a military cantonment, there is no dearth of army here. Army has discharged its duties to such an extent in last 30 years It is said that the democratic system was restored and elections to Parliament, Legislative Assembly and Panchayats were held, but now it is not the work of the army.
“All security experts and many former military officers agree that J&K is a political issue with no military solution,” he said.
Highlighting the need for dialogue, Mehbooba said that the government is engaged in dialogue and reconciliation with China even after the aggressive action by the neighboring country in Ladakh.
“There cannot be a military solution… China has killed 20 of our soldiers and occupied 2,000 square kilometers of our land (in Ladakh), but talks and reconciliation are going on there,” he said.