Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and patron of Opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Mufti Muhammad Sayeed said on Thursday the response of the Central government to the current crisis in the state tantamount to an insult to people of Kashmir.
Reacting to the official announcement at the end of the meeting convened by the Prime Minister in New Delhi on Wednesday evening to discuss Kashmir situation, Mr Sayeed said linking the “genuine anger and anguish” among people in Kashmir with terrorism was “nothing short of an assault on their self-respect and dignity.” He added it appears disconnect between the Union and the state is deliberately being fuelled to push the people to wall and justify the crackdown on unarmed people.
The former CM said, “We’ve been on the receiving end of the anti-national label for too long and dubbing an entire people as being vulnerable to inspired influences raises questions not just about this place but the whole idea of India.” He further said that at a time when Kashmir is mourning its dead and trying hard to come to terms with its huge loss, school going teenagers at that, it deserved a statesmanly response of empathy if not sympathy from the PM which unfortunately was missing from the terse government communiqué.