Hitting out at the BJP’s handling of the situation in Kashmir, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said on Sunday that the BJP government was holding talks with militants in the north-east, but was treating ordinary civilians in Jammu and Kashmir as terrorists.

Mehbooba was addressing a large gathering of party activists and supporters at the mausoleum of her father Mufti Sayeed at Bijbehara in south Kashmir on his 8th death anniversary.

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“We will not surrender, we will not raise the white flag. If you talk to us with dignity, we will respond with respect. However, if you talk through batons like you did in Bafliaz, it will not work,” Mehbooba said.

“There in the northeast you talk to militants while in Jammu and Kashmir you have branded ordinary people as militants. You have filled the jails by carrying out indiscriminate arrests. The Enforcement Directorate, NIA, SIA raids have become a daily affair. Does anyone treat their own people like this?” she questioned.

The former chief minister said the Centre should learn from the approach taken by her late father in dealing with separatists. “Learn something from Mufti sahib, he tried to connect the hearts of people. He gave a way to separatists also so that they can live within this country with dignity. Mufti never said a wrong thing and he always held on to one flag only but he said the people of Jammu and Kashmir want peace with dignity,” she added.

In what can be termed as a boost for the PDP, was the return of PDP’s co-founder and former deputy chief minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig and his wife Safina Baig, who is chairperson of District Development Council, Baramulla, after nearly four years. The return of Baigs to the PDP assumes significance as it comes less than four months ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

Baig, while addressing the gathering, said Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was the first person who spoke about the healing touch policy after the eruption of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

“As far as Mufti’s politics is concerned, he was the first Muslim home minister of India. Till date no other Muslim has been made Home Minister of the country. He was the first person who talked about healing touch after the eruption of militancy. He said the militants were our own children who are being misled by another country,” he added.

Baig said the PDP founder gave a message of harmony, rising above various divides in the society.

“He gave a message of harmony, rising above the urban-rural divide, the Pahari-Gujjar differences or the Hindu-Muslim divide. I will pray to Allah to have mercy on all of us and grant us a life of dignity,” he added.