Jammu Tawi, August 1:
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti launched a sharp attack on both the BJP and National Conference (NC) on Friday, accusing them of failing to deliver peace and development in Jammu and Kashmir despite commanding significant mandates.
Speaking at an event marking the PDP’s 26th foundation day, Mehbooba said both parties had betrayed the people’s trust. “The BJP has ruled at the Centre and in the Union Territory since 2018, yet peace and development remain elusive in Jammu. Despite securing 30 seats, what has the BJP done? Unemployment is at its peak, inflation is unbearable, and local resources have been handed to outsiders,” she said.
She was equally critical of the NC, which she said had made tall promises during elections but delivered little. “They promised free electricity, jobs, 12 gas cylinders annually, and an end to outside mining mafias. But what have they done with 50 seats? Nothing,” she remarked.
Stressing that peace was a prerequisite for development, Mehbooba said both the BJP and NC were misleading the people. “There can be no development without peace. The BJP keeps fooling Jammu; the NC continues to misguide the people,” she stated.
Invoking the legacy of her father, former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, she emphasized that the solution to Jammu and Kashmir’s problems lies within the region, not in Delhi. “Mufti Sahab always said that Kashmir and Jammu must walk together. He spent summers in Jammu to send that message — that unless both regions unite, there can be no lasting peace.”
Highlighting the region’s potential, she pointed to its natural resources, precious stones like Neelam and blue sapphire, and intelligent youth. “Despite all this, we remain backward. Why?” she asked. “Our waters generate power for the rest of the country, yet we lack progress.”
Reiterating the PDP’s founding ideals, Mehbooba recalled Mufti Sayeed’s departure from Congress to build an alternative rooted in dignity and dialogue. “He wanted peace, not at gunpoint, but through mutual respect. That’s why he opened roads to Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot — to connect people, not divide them.”
Turning to recent border tensions and communal strife, she warned of rising militarization and growing divisions. “For the first time, even people in Jammu have felt the horrors of war. What do we gain from it except suffering?” she asked.
She criticized the Centre’s economic performance, citing global leaders like Donald Trump calling India’s economy “dead.” “We’re giving free rations to 80 crore people because we can’t create jobs. Schools and hospitals are crumbling while we spend heavily on weapons.”
Warning of the dangers of escalating Indo-Pak tensions, she said, “One blast in Kashmir or Jammu is enough to start a war. Countries like the US, China, and Israel want to test or sell weapons. In the end, it’s our children and women who suffer.”
Accusing the BJP of exploiting communal divisions for electoral gains, she said, “The BJP wins votes through hate. They demolish mosques and stoke Hindu-Muslim tensions. This year alone, several tribal children have died in violence. I’ve never seen such division in my lifetime.”
Calling for unity, Mehbooba urged the people of Jammu and Kashmir to rally behind the PDP to reclaim dignity and democracy. “Mufti Sahab said — end hostility with Pakistan, and we can eliminate poverty. War only brings destruction; peace brings prosperity,” she concluded.
