PDP MP urges PM to send group of ministers to asses J-K sit

Srinagar: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) MP Nazir Ahmad Laway on Thursday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him ‘to send a group of Union Ministers to Kashmir to assess the situation and immediately release local political leaders detained after the revocation of Article 370.’ In the letter to the Prime Minister, Laway has said that the house arrest of three former Chief Ministers including PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, the National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah and Parliamentarians is “not healthy for democracy.” Maintaining that democracy is built on the bedrock of the coexistence of diverse and often diverging views and ideologies, the PDP MP has argued in the letter that “detaining mainstream political leaders, who stood through thick and thin with the Government of India, is completely unjustifiable.” “Some of the detained persons have even been deported to outside state jails. All these things will definitely not help in building the confidence of the people,” said he.
Talking about the ban on internet service in the region, he said: “The communication blackout is completely unreasonable and unjustifiable. Having access to the internet is not a luxury but a basic need. It has a devastating impact on the lives of Kashmiris.” The PDP leader has underlined that the horticulture sector, which is considered as the backbone of Kashmir economy, is badly hit and the fruit growers are severely affected as they face a lot of difficulties in procuring the essential items for packaging and transportation of their fruits.
Referring to the first speech of Prime Minister Modi after the abrogation of Article 37o and 35A wherein he spoke about the Central government’s plans to end corruption, atrocities and violence in Jammu and Kashmir, Laway said: “More than two months have passed, nothing seems to be working on the ground.”