Mehbooba promises to open Kargil-Skardu road

KARGIL: Appreciating the recent statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Kashmir, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, while addressing a PDP gathering here, said Kargil was a symbol of peace in the state and promised to open the cross-border routes and also to strengthen tourism and developmental activities in Kargil.

Mehbooba Mufti, Chief Minister

Tribune News Service

Kargil, August 19

Appreciating the recent statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Kashmir, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, while addressing a PDP gathering here, said Kargil was a symbol of peace in the state and promised to open the cross-border routes and also to strengthen tourism and developmental activities in Kargil.

Mehbooba Mufti visited Kargil for the first time since the establishment of the alliance. She was accompanied by Minister for Power Naeem Akhter and Minister for Education Syed Altaf Bukhari.

While talking about the present socio-political scenario of the state, Mehbooba said the coalition with the BJP was to bring peace process in Jammu and Kashmir. On the speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Independence Day, she said she saw the reflection of Vajpayee in Modi.

“As the Prime Minister talked of rethinking about Kashmir and to hug the people of Kashmir, we hope that Modi will come with a sound policy on Kashmir and keep his promise. After the end of the Kargil war, then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee initiated a peace process by continuing ceasefire with Pakistan in 1999, but unrest still prevails in border areas in Jammu and Kashmir. We hope that the present Prime Minister will walk on the same path and initiate the phase of peace process between the two countries and in Kashmir,” the CM said.

She said the opening of the cross-LOC routes could initiate a process of trade in the region and Jammu Kashmir could further reclaim its status of the “Gateway to Central Asia”. “Opening strategic routes are in our Agenda of Alliance and we will make our best efforts to open strategic routes like Kargil-Skardu and Turtuk-Khaplu roads so that the trade and peace process begin here,” she said.

Mehbooba added that late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had a soft corner for the people of Kargil and promised to boost the developmental and tourism activities in Kargil and in this process mega projects like construction of Zojila tunnel and Kargil-Zanksar highway were already under consideration.