Make J&K a bridge of friendship, not a theatre of war: Mehbooba

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said her party will continue to raise its voice for peace and channel the sentiments of the people.

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A statement issued by the party on Saturday said Mufti reiterated her party’s commitment to peace and dialogue, warning against the “rising tide of war rhetoric that continues to impact the people of the region.”

Addressing party workers in Srinagar, Mehbooba said Jammu and Kashmir has always borne the brunt of war and violence, comparing the region to “grass trampled under the feet of two fighting elephants.”

“The PDP will continue to raise its voice for peace and channel the sentiments of the people. We must end the spectre of war so that people can plan their lives and revive the economy. Jammu and Kashmir should be a bridge of understanding, friendship, and cooperation — not a theatre for war,” she said in her address.

The PDP chief also expressed concern over the “ongoing crackdown” in the region. “Our youth are being jailed and Public Safety Acts are being misused. If such draconian measures were truly effective, incidents like Pahalgam would not have occurred. If the goal is to fight militancy, don’t wage war against the poor people of J&K, many of whom are languishing in jails outside the state.”

Mehbooba also took a dig at the National Conference (NC), pointing out their constant “attempts to appease BJP at the cost of people’s interests and their own mandate.”

“The same minister who introduced the Waqf Bill was later welcomed and garlanded in Kashmir by the NC leadership. The NC, despite having 50 MLAs, didn’t even allow a resolution to be passed in the Assembly against the Waqf amendment,” she said.

Mufti also criticised remarks by NC, which she said, hailed the move to put the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance. “When the Indus Waters Treaty was put in abeyance by the Government of India, it was Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who hailed the move and even advocated for an immediate halt to water supplies to Pakistan,” she said.

“We may have political differences with the government of Pakistan, but not with its people. It is saddening that such remarks are being made by the leader of the only Muslim-majority state in the country.”