Mehbooba: Someone has cast an evil eye on Kashmir

Our Correspondent

Kulgam, May 25

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today lamented that someone had cast an evil eye on the Valley and as a result while everybody was on a path to development, Kashmir was lagging behind.

Mehbooba today visited some half a dozen villages in Devsar constituency of Kulgam district, including Mirbazar, Boonigam, Qazigund, Devsar, Kond and YK Pora. She met party workers and took stock of some developmental projects going on in the area.

Addressing party workers in Qazigund, in an obvious reference to the ongoing student protests across the Kashmir valley, Mehbooba said: “Be it studies or sports, Kashmiri children are second to none in the world. But God knows what has happened. Someone has cast an evil eye on Kashmir, whose people are as beautiful as the place itself,” she said.

The Chief Minister added that some students, particularly the poor ones who study in government schools, were being misled by people with vested interests.

She also bewailed the fact that no development work had been done in Kashmir since July last year given the volatile situation.

“My father had certain dreams about this place and I wanted to make them true. But you have seen no work whatsoever has been allowed in the last many months now,” Mehbooba said.

In Kelam village, the victims of 2014 floods raised slogans before Mehbooba and asked her to take immediate steps for their rehabilitation.

Meanwhile, clashes erupted in Kelam village soon after Mehbooba left. There were reports of stone-throwing at Kelam village, wherein a youth was also arrested by the police.

There were no reports of anybody getting injured during the stone-throwing.

However, Kulgam Superintendent of Police Sreedhar Patil maintained that no stone-throwing took place in the area.

“Some flood victims raised slogans before the Chief Minister and that was it. There was no stone-throwing,” Patil said.