India needs to show its liberal face to Kashmir: Mehbooba

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 20

Former Chief Minister and president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said soldier and gun should not be the only symbol of India in Jammu and Kashmir. She said the country had to show its tolerant and liberal face to the people of the state.

Addressing party functionaries from Pattan, Shopian and Kulgam in Srinagar on Tuesday, Mehbooba said the muscular policy and the political patchwork would not bring peace to the restive state. She said such approaches had miserably failed to yield positive results in the past.

“This muscular approach will not take us anywhere as this has been tried for many decades and hasn’t yielded any positive outcome. It is unfortunate that some people still believe in the efficacy of these methods and are trying to repeat the old mistakes which will be meaningless and prove counter-productive,” a PDP spokesman quoted Mehbooba as having said.

The former CM said the leadership in the country and the opinion makers would have to rise above the partisan considerations and ideological differences to address the atmosphere of hate and intolerance and rediscover the inclusive India which had made Jammu and Kashmir throw in its lot with the Union.

“It has to be its democratic values, tolerance and religious harmony which could provide a bulwark against the swirling tides of intolerance and sectarianism,” said the PDP president.