Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Oct 26
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti said on Monday that Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to India was based on trust, secularism, and constitutional assurances, alleging that those commitments had been undermined over the years, particularly after the repeal of Article 370.
Addressing a party event at the PDP headquarters in Srinagar to mark the 79th Accession Day, the former chief minister said people in the region had expected their distinct identity, land rights and employment opportunities to be protected.
She said Jammu and Kashmir had joined India despite being a Muslim-majority region because its people trusted the country’s secular leadership and believed their political aspirations and composite culture would be respected.
Mehbooba cited the vision of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, B.R. Ambedkar and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, saying the accession was rooted in the idea of a secular country where people of different faiths could coexist.
Referring to Articles 370 and 35A, she said the constitutional provisions were intended to protect the region’s limited land resources and employment opportunities from outside competition.
“We trusted the leadership of India, but we had certain conditions,” the former chief minister said.
She also referred to the role of Sheikh Abdullah in the accession process and described 1953 as a turning point in relations between Kashmir and India’s leadership.
Mehbooba alleged that the repeal of Article 370 had weakened the trust underpinning the relationship between Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country and deprived people of safeguards they believed had been promised to them.
She disputed the government’s portrayal of the situation in the region as peaceful, saying the absence of public protests and open political expression did not necessarily indicate normalcy.
“We’re not allowed to go out. We’re not allowed to talk, and BJP considers this silence to be peaceful,” the PDP chief said, referring to the Bharatiya Janata Party. “But this is not normal. This is fear, which is now being seen in the whole country.”
She said Kashmir’s political and security situation was discussed at international forums and during political debates elsewhere in India, but that local concerns were not being adequately addressed within the Union Territory.
Mehbooba alleged that discussion of the region’s problems was often accompanied by raids by investigating agencies, the use of anti-terror laws, preventive detention and curfews.
She also raised concerns about security checks affecting residents, including people who had surrendered years earlier but were still being called to police stations.
Young people were facing difficulties obtaining passports for education and employment, the former chief minister said, adding that security-related restrictions were limiting their opportunities.
She also cited delays caused by security checks, saying journeys that should take an hour could stretch to three hours.
Mehbooba called for political engagement and dialogue, invoking former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s approach to Kashmir.
“If you want to keep Jammu and Kashmir together, don’t drag it. Don’t drag it with your arms. Instead, hold its hand and teach it to walk with you,” she said.
The PDP chief urged people across India to use Accession Day to reflect on the circumstances and assurances associated with Jammu and Kashmir’s accession.
