Asks ministers to throw open doors for people
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti Tuesday urged his ministers to throw open their doors for people and told public if they fail to redress their grievances, they should register complaint against the ministers with the CM’s office.
Addressing a gathering of people at the Chief Minister’s residence at Wazarat Road in Jammu, Mehbooba in presence of her senior cabinet colleagues Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu, Education Minister Naeem Akhtar and Minister for IT, Youth Services and Sports, and Technical Education, Imran Raza Ansari told her workers that the doors of the ministers were open for them.
“If the ministers don’t give response to you, don’t reach you, call my office about them and I will solve your problems,” she said amid ‘Mehbooba Mufti Qadam Badaav, Hum Tumhare Saath Hai’ slogans by the party workers.
Over a thousand party workers attended the rally.
Mehbooba’s brother Mufti Tasadduq Hussain also present on the occasion and received with slogans ‘Tasadduq Mufti Qadam Badaav Hum Tumhare Saath Hai’ slogans.
Laying emphasis on India-Pakistan talks for peace in Kashmir, Mehbooba said she stands for continuance of dialogue between the two nuclear neighbours.
She also welcomed the joint coordination between India and Pakistan on Jalandar attacks.
An official spokesman said Mehbooba told the party workers that the PDP-BJP ‘Agenda of Alliance’ was not a pact between two political parties but it was an agenda of more than one billion people of India to usher Jammu 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 Kashmir but of entire country join this new enterprise of hope to pull the State out of the morass and resolutely address the challenges confronting it,” Mehbooba told the people who had arrived here from across the State to felicitate her on assuming office of the chief minister.
She said Mufti Sayeed and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a shared vision for the peace and prosperity of Jammu Kashmir, and the present government would work with fresh resolve toward implementing that vision so that the people of Jammu Kashmir could reap fruits of globalization and economic liberalization like their counterparts in other states of India.
“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. “State government has the full support of the Prime Minister and his team.” Mehbooba said the PM called her this morning immediately on his return from Saudi Arabia, reassuring her of full support from the Government of India in mitigating the sufferings of the people of Jammu Kashmir.
However, she said peace and harmony was imperative for any positive initiative to take shape and have an impact on the ground. “Jammu Kashmir 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,” 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.”
Mehbooba said peace along the borders in Jammu region and within the mainland in Kashmir was key to development and progress.
She said addressing the genuine political, economic and security concerns of the people of Jammu Kashmir was 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,” Mehbooba said and added that the most daring challenge for this 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 said despite passing through the darkest era of its history, the main source of the State’s 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. “Jammu Kashmir’s young population has suffered immensely due to the conflict and our youth now need to connect with the larger world outside to grab the opportunities available to their counterparts elsewhere.”
Mehbooba said in a democratic setup 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 fail 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.
