Asserting that all sections of society in Jammu and Kashmir were feeling "betrayed", the PDP on Thursday said the Centre must move beyond "rhetoric" and allow democratic and political process to resume in the union territory.
"The affirmation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Jammu and Kashmir is crown jewel of India and the people here have strong faith in the BJP is contrary to the situation on ground and the figures provided by the government itself present a depressing picture," former legislator and party spokesperson Firdous Tak said.
He said instead of "rhetoric", the Union government must restore democracy and allow political process to resume in Jammu and Kashmir.
"All sections of society in Jammu and Kashmir were today feeling betrayed. The Union government must move beyond rhetoric and allow democratic and political process to resume in this trouble-torn part of the country," Tak said.
"There was no alternative to sincere and meaningful political outreach through dialogue and reconciliation," he added.
Tak said when the prime minister recalled the statements made by the former chief ministers regarding the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, he failed to mention the sacrifices the leaders and the workers from mainstream political parties have made for the country.
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Replying to a debate on Motion of Thanks to the President's Address in Lok Sabha on Thursday, Modi slammed former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti for their remarks on abrogation of Article 370.
Tak said the same people who sworn oath of the Constitution and serve the nation are being questioned and targeted.
"Illegal and unjustified detention of three former chief ministers and former legislators itself amounts to coercion," he said.
"As per official figures, 444 people have been detained under the draconian Public Safety Act across Jammu and Kashmir post August 5, besides those who have been illegally kept under detention just for having a contrary opinion over the government's decision to abrogate Article 370 and downgrading the state to union territory," the PDP Leader said.
He said everyone, be it unemployed youth, government employees, business community, traders, transporters or any other section of the society, is feeling the pain of losing statehood and special identity.
"The BJP's ghost of development is yet to come out of bottle and instead everything which the people of Jammu and Kashmir so proudly owned is being snatched under a planned conspiracy," Tak said.
The void between the administration and the people has widened adding miseries for the common masses, he added.
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