Prevailing Situation in Kashmir Due to Failure of Government Policies: PAGD

Srinagar: The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), an amalgam of regional political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, on Friday said that the prevailing situation in the region is a result of the “failure of the policies of the government”.

 Leaders from various political parties, including People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti, M Y Tarigami of the CPI (M) and senior National Conference (NC) leader Justice (Retd) Hasnain Masoodi attended a PAGD meeting at the residence of president Farooq Abdullah to discuss the current situation in J&K, the group’s spokesperson Tarigami said.

 Following the meeting, Tarigami said decisions like demonetisation and removal of Article 370 were sold to the country as a solution to the problems of militancy and alienation in Kashmir.

 “It has been shown that without any doubt that neither demonetisation nor removal of Article 370 have contributed to improving the security situation in J&K. In fact, some recent decisions of the Jammu & Kashmir administration have only served to heighten differences between the communities that otherwise were living peacefully amongst each other,” he added.  

The PAGD, in a statement said, it condemned the recent killings of innocent people in the valley. “These killings have created a climate of fear that has not been seen in Kashmir since the early 1990's,” the statement read.

 The PAGD’s leaders had earlier warned against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government’s decision to tinker with Article 370 and 35 A arguing that the unilateral decision would have far-reaching implications of regional stability and security. The decision was made despite opposition and regional political leadership was jailed to thwart attempts of protest. The Central government argued that the decision would in fact bring order and stability to the region.

 The group, formed by Kashmir-based parties to advocate for the restoration of Article 370, added that the onus of creating a conducive security environment lay with the Government of India, while reiterating that the political parties of Jammu & Kashmir woud play a role to reduce the “levels of suspicion and fear.”

 “While it is true that the majority of the civilian deaths in Kashmir have been Muslims, it does not absolve us of our responsibility to do everything in our power to help those who belong to religious minorities feel secure and we appeal to those who may be considering fleeing the Valley to reconsider their decision,” the statement read.

The party leaders said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged "Dil Ki Doori aur Dili Say Doori” while “promising to correct” this distance during an all-party meet held in New Delhi on June 24, 2021. The leaders, however, alleged that nothing had been done since then, as arbitrary detentions and excessive use of force continue to be the norm in Jammu and Kashmir.

The killing of a civilian on Thursday evening, PAGD leaders said, it was the direct result of the heightened state of alert and justification for use of force.

The grouping pointed out that harassment of innocent civilians and killings like that of Parvaiz Ahmad Gujjar’s will only serve to worsen the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. “The administration must do everything possible to ensure that a 'shoot at sight' policy is not adopted by the security forces,” Tarigami added.