SOZ CAUTIONS CENTRE NOT TO PUSH MAINSTREAM LEADERS TO WALL IN J&K

Former Union minister Saif-ud-Din Soz on Tuesday cautioned the Central government and the BJP leadership not to push mainstream political leaders of Kashmir along with their activists to the wall as according to him it will promote separatism.

He also suggested to the Centre to start a meaningful dialogue with the mainstream political parties of Jammu and Kashmir to bring them out from the current uncertainty.

Describing the situation prevailing in Kashmir Valley as fragile, he said that the Central government should not waste time and stop their baseless propaganda against the tall political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir.

He said that if the tirade against the mainstream political parties continues, the Government of India would unwittingly provide that space to separatists.

“New Delhi lacks a substantial policy about Kashmir. Bureaucrats have been brought from outside J&K who are ruling on us. It is groping in the dark. The abrogation of Article 370 will remain unacceptable for people of J&K. At present people are subdued but they are angry. But GoI doesn’t care about all this! I think it is because the BJP has not been a party to build this relation between J&K and the Union of India,” Soz has been quoted in a national daily.

He cautioned the BJP not to shrink space for the mainstream political parties, especially in Kashmir Valley, and said that they want to impose the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir but it will be having dangerous repercussions.

Soz defended the decision of the central Congress leadership, asking the J&K Congress to pull back from the PAGD. He said that the Congress is a national party which has its own limitations, however regional parties are free to raise regional aspirations but the Congress cannot be expected to support all regional issues in every region.