Mehbooba Mufti is the first ever woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
A day after taking over, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said “decisive measures” would be required to end the scenario of “despair and trust-deficit” in the state and informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had committed full support from the Centre.
“The Prime Minister called me this morning, immediately on his return from Saudi Arabia, reassuring me of full support from the Government of India in mitigating the sufferings of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” she told a gathering of people who had come to felicitate her.
Mehbooba said addressing the genuine political, economic and security concerns of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is an issue which goes beyond power politics and requires a decisive political will at various levels.
“We shall have to take decisive measures to end the scenario of despair and trust deficit,” she said.
She said the PDP-BJP ‘Agenda of Alliance’ is not a pact between two political parties but an agenda of more than one billion people of the country to usher Jammu and Kashmir into an era of peace, stability and prosperity.
“Productive development and inclusive prosperity is possible only in an environment of peace and stability which necessitates that not only the people of Jammu and Kashmir but that of the whole country join this new enterprise of hope to pull the state out of the morass and resolutely address the challenges confronting it,” she said.
‘Have full support of PM Modi’
She said her late father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Modi had a shared vision for peace and prosperity of the state and the present government would work with fresh resolve towards implementing that vision so that the people of Jammu and Kashmir could reap the fruits of globalization and economic liberalization like their counterparts in other states of the country.
“When I met the Prime Minister in New Delhi recently, he told me that Mufti Sahab’s vision is the only way to end the problems in and around Jammu and Kashmir,” she said.
She said the state government has the full support of the Prime Minister and his team.
Mehbooba said the “most daring challenge” for her government is to be with the people and reach out to them.
“We shall have to respond to and determinedly work towards mitigating the complex problems of J&K, faced as it is with decades-long political uncertainty, economic deprivation, development deficit and mounting unemployment,” she said.
Mehbooba lauds the youth of the state
The Chief Minister said despite passing through the darkest era of its history, the state’s main source of confidence is the substantial potential of building upon its young and enterprising human resource.
“It is heartening to note that even after having gone through the most difficult times, our young boys and girls are doing us proud in whatever field they take a plunge,” she said.
She said the the state’s young population has suffered immensely due to the conflict and the youth now need to connect with the larger world outside to grab the opportunities available to their counterparts elsewhere.
Mehbooba said in a democratic set-up, the power lies with the people and they have to be given due respect. She said the doors of her ministers and civil servants should remain always open for the common people.
“If any Minister and other government functionary fails to respond effectively to genuine problems of the people, the complainants should directly approach my office,” she said and added that she would ensure effective action on such genuine issues that are brought to her notice.
‘Peace in Jammu and Kashmir key to development and progress’
Noting that Jammu and Kashmir has been the worst victim of hostilities between India and Pakistan, she said peace along the borders and within the state was key to development and progress of the state.
“J&K essentially has huge stakes in peace, harmony and stability, as people both in Kashmir and Jammu regions have to suffer enormous human tragedies and economic losses because of the hostility,” Mehbooba said.
She said while people living along the borders in Jammu region suffer and live under the constant threat of cross-border shelling, the people in Kashmir valley are suffering because of the continued internal strife and recurrent violence.
“Peace along the borders in Jammu region and within the mainland in Kashmir is key to development and progress,” the Chief Minister emphasised.
