India may launch another Balakot type strike: Mehbooba Mufti

Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said that India may launch another Balakot type attack in Pakistan to hoodwink the people of the country and lure them to cast their votes in favour of the ruling party.

"There're apprehensions that the BJP-led government in a bid to save its sinking ship may launch another Balakot type attack against Pakistan," she said while speaking at party workers' convention in hometown Bijbebara in southern Anantnag district. She alleged that the Modi government has failed on every front "with the masses perturbed, joblessness spiralling and economy witnessing a dreadful dip". She said, "The BJP tried its best to polarise the situation and instigate communal riots all across. When nothing worked, it enacted a drama called Balakot strike".

She claimed that during the very first phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has foreseen its defeat and "in order to garner votes and hoodwink the electorate there are apprehensions that Modi-led government is preparing to launch one more Balakot type attack against Pakistan."

Ms Mufti said that the government's "ongoing antagonistic approach" towards Pakistan and "unleashing terror upon the unarmed and innocent people of Kashmir" are nothing but a vote bank politics of the BJP as the party is witnessing rout all across the country.

Reacting to the statements of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal in which apprehensions were raised  over the authenticity of the Pulwama suicide attack, the PDP president demanded a thorough enquiry to ascertain the facts.

"A thorough probe should be conducted so that the truth behind the Pulwama suicide attack comes to fore and questions raised by senior political voices are answered sans any hindrance," she said.

She also slammed the BJP leader and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's statement on the relationship between the PDP and Jamaat-e-Islami, Kashmir and said that in a democratic set up, the socio-political and religious organisation- (Jamaat-e- Islami) has every right to propagate its ideology and function without any hindrance.

"As Chief Minister I was under tremendous pressure to ban Jamaat-e-Islami in the State. However, I refused to sign on a dotted line due to which BJP was compelled to run away from the coalition," she claimed. She said that her party will continue its fight so that ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami is revoked and the organisation is allowed to work freely once again.

Earlier Mr. Jaitley had in a tweet said, "The NDA supported in good faith a regime of the mainstream party in the State. But PDP remained in the clutches of Jamaat-e-Islami agenda. Thereafter, Central government, for the last few months, has sent a clear message that terrorism will not be accepted in the Valley".

Reacting to it, Ms. Mufti wrote on the micro-blogging site "Jamaat, an organisation that has done great work in upliftment of poor makes you uncomfortable owing to its Islamic ideology. You'd rather extend patronage to rabid right wing organisations that lynch innocents on flimsy excuses and spearhead a divisive agenda to persecute minorities".

The Finance Minister also said that the PDP instead of working for total integration, wanted a loose and liberal constitutional arrangement with Articles 370 and 35A with the State "under an erroneous impression that this would further the cause of integration". He termed it as a fraud on the people of India.

Responding to it, the former chief minister said, "PDPs stand on Article 370 and 35A was always public. If BJP believed it undermined India's integrity why did it form government with us agreeing not to touch these provisions? BJPs attempts to divide India on basis of religion are a greater threat to its integrity than anything else".

In her reaction to Mr. Jaitley's assertion that the statements of mainstream parties of Kashmir create a separatist psyche which was not acceptable to New India, Ms. Mufti said, "Unacceptable is a new India where those who kill and lynch in the name of religion are feted and garlanded. If standing up for my people makes me a separatist and anti national then it's a badge I will wear with honour". End it  

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