Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti said she was not surprised when Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the meeting of political leaders of J-K on Thursday, reported NDTV.
“There is so much of oppression” in the region, she told NDTV, adding that the centre must have realised that things have not gone as they had planned.
Her comments come a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with top political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir at his Delhi residence. It was the first meeting between the centre with the political leaders of the region after the abrogation of J-K’s limited autonomy.
“I won’t fight any election until Article 370 is restored. Otherwise, they will say I am doing it for political gains. But my party does not want to leave any democratic space or it will be taken away by other forces. If the party wins, there are other senior leaders. I will not be Chief Minister. I want to send a message to my people that it is not a mere slogan for me,” Mehbooba Mufti told NDTV.
Mufti added: “Before elections, we need Confidence Building Measures as people’s confidence is shaken, they are shattered. They are depressed…you need to reach out to people first, elections can wait.”
As per the report, she said that “there is so much oppression in Jammu and Kashmir. People are unable to even breathe. The situation on the ground in J-K is not what they are portraying to the world. People are unhappy and feeling suffocated”.
She added: “Journalists these days get notices for their reporting, so people can’t report freely. Security forces pick up people for the smallest of things and are harassed.”
