No special package for J&K leaves Kashmiris dejected
SRINAGAR: There was disappointment in the Valley following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to state on Friday.
While former chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah who had recently given a rating of ‘half-star’ to the Prime Minister for his work in the state asked what was the package announced by Modi for people of Kashmir. “`50,000 Cr; ?70,000 Cr; ?100,000 Cr. How large was the package finally announced for the state? Turned out to be the perfect round figure,’’ asked Omar Abdullah while writing on twitter. Some local and national news- papers had reported that Prime Minister Modi was expected to announce a sanction of a development package worth ` 70,000 crore to ` 1 lakh crore for Jammu and Kashmir for the next five years. A local English daily had quoted state finance minister Haseeb Drabu saying the “package of 70,000 crore was in the offing.” Sources in the PDP, however, said that the Prime Minister is likely to announce the package during his Kashmir visit by end of this month or early next month. Moderate separatist Mirwaiz Umar Farooq while addressing a gathering during his Friday address in Jamia Masjid asserted that Kashmir was the basic issue between India and Pakistan.
While referring to the Prime Minister’s visit to Jammu, Mirwaiz said, “The Indian leadership should read the writings on the wall and should accept the fact that Kashmir dispute cannot be resolved through military means, or by imposing AFSPA or other black laws. Indian leadership should shun the politics of arrogance and should take steps to solve the Kashmir dispute according to the wishes and aspirations of Kashmiris.” Mirwaiz alleged Indian communal parties were fanning politics of hatred in Jammu, adding, “they were on the agenda of creating a chasm and tearing apart the tradition of communal bonhomie.”