Not willing to become J&K CM, says Mehbooba

Seeking to scotch speculation about her taking over as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti today made it clear that she was "not" willing to take up the job.
"No I don't want to," was her reply to a question about whether she would be soon taking over the helm of affairs in the militancy-hit state.
Mehbooba, who was participating at 'Aaj Tak agenda' programme, said the talk about her taking over as the chief minister was started by her father and incumbent Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, but "I have said no to him as well".
"I am not comfortable. I generally don't disagree with my father but this is a point on which I have," she said and reasoned that the PDP-BJP alliance in the state needed a leader of the stature of Sayeed to run it.

"My father believes in conviction rather than convenience. He has done this alliance for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and not to make his daughter chief minister," she said.
In response to a question that BJP was not comfortable over her being made the chief minister as her "nationalistic credentials" were doubtful and her politics was more akin to separatists groups like Hurriyat, Mehbooba replied that she "did not require certificate from anyone".

Noting that a lot of blood had been shed in the last 27
years, Mehbooba sought the wholehearted cooperation of the people in restoration of peace and normalcy in the valley to prevent further loss of precious lives and destruction of public and private properties.

"Nobody should be allowed to play with the future of your children," she told the parents.
"The government is taking various measures to restore calm and it needs support of the people in this endeavor.
"I appeal all sections of the society including the political leaders, media, the religious heads, the business community and the prominent citizens to rise to the occasion and help the government in restoring peace and normalcy in the Kashmir in the wake of the prevailing law and order situation," the Chief Minister said.
Observing that education and economy are the first casualties of the prevailing situation, she said "the future of our children is at stake and they won't be able to compete with their counterparts from other parts of the state and the country because of the loss of precious time."

Mehbooba said the deteriorating law and order situation has also lent a huge blow to the local economy which had just started picking up the threads with the encouraging tourist arrivals.
"If we see what happened over the past 27 years, nothing has been achieved (through violence)," she added.
Separately, while talking to IAS probationers of 2015-17 batch allotted to the J&K cadre, Mehbooba asked them to familiarize themselves with the special characteristics of the state that would prepare them better in gaining immediate understanding of the challenges faced by the people.
She asked the officers to maintain the highest standards of probity and integrity in delivery of their duties and their "main motive should be to serve the people by delivering justice in a fair, transparent and hassle-free manner."

Mehbooba said the government functioning was changing fast and thus it was imperative on the officials to be more sensitive and alert to the problems and issues being faced by the common people.
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Talking about Chinese developmental projects in PoK, the Chief Minister said China is investing in the area for building economic corridor and "I feel Jammu and Kashmir should also be made as a corridor of trade to central Asia but it is still isolated."
Referring to the refugees' issue, Mehbooba said, "It is not the issue of five-ten lakh or one crore people, it is a human issue. India got Independence (and) there was a division, but Jammu and Kashmir state suffered the most due to the division (between India and Pakistan) as no other state suffered such a problem."

Asserting that her father and former Chief Minister late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had always advocated that this issue is a "human problem", she said there are various vexed problems, people of the state have suffered the wounds of divide and many other problems on this account.
About the compensation, she said justice delayed is justice denied but the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and her government in the J and K have finally done justice with them, even as the previous governments failed bitterly for decades to help them.