Dr. Farooq Abdullah led the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) on Friday while “unreservedly” condemning the recent killing of innocent people in the Kashmir valley, accused the BJP government of pushing Jammu and Kashmir to this point.

Spokesman of the PAGD, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, CPI(M) leader, said that the meeting was convened at the residence of Dr. Farooq Abdullah to take stock of the current situation prevailing in Jammu & Kashmir. It was attended by PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, Tarigami and Justice (Retd) Hasnain Masoodi, who is a sitting MP.

The PAGD observed that “these killings have created a climate of fear that has not been seen in Kashmir since the early ’90s. The current prevailing situation is the result of the failure of the policies of the government that have brought Jammu & Kashmir to this point. Whether it was demonetization or removal of Article 370, these decisions were sold to the country as a solution to the problems of militancy and alienation in Kashmir”.

Today it has been shown that without any doubt that neither demonetization nor the removal of Article 370 has 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.

The onus to create a conducive security environment lies with the Government of India, however, we as responsible political parties of Jammu & Kashmir will play our role to the best of our ability 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.

“In the meeting of Political Leaders with the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 24th June 2021, the Prime Minister acknowledged ‘Dil Ki Doori ore Dilli Say Doori’ while promising to correct this distance. Unfortunately, nothing has been done in this regard since that meeting. Arbitrary detentions and excessive use of force continue to be the norm in Jammu and Kashmir”, the PAGD said.

The killing of Yasir Ali yesterday evening is the direct result of the heightened state of alert and justification for use of force. Harassment of innocent civilians and the killings like Yasir Ali will only serve to worsen the situation in Jammu & Kashmir. The administration must do everything possible to ensure that the shoot at sight policy is not adopted by the Security Forces, the PAGD demanded.v