PAGD says Central government’s policies have taken Kashmir back to 1990s

The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) has alleged that the decisions of the Narendra Modi government vis-a-vis Kashmir have not only failed to improve the security situation in the Kashmir Valley but have created tension between communities. The PAGD statement follows a week of mayhem in Kashmir that left eight civilians dead in targeted attacks.

Yousuf Tarigami, PAGD spokesperson, said in a statement: “Today it has been shown without any doubt that neither demonetisation nor the removal of Article 370 have contributed to improving the security situation in J&K. In fact, some recent decisions of the Jammu & Kashmir administration have only served to heighten differences between the communities that otherwise were living peacefully amongst each other.”

The PAGD statement said that Kashmir has descended into the 1990s as a result of the policies of the Modi government. “These killings have created a climate of fear that has not been seen in Kashmir since the early 90s. The current situation prevailing in Jammu & Kashmir is the result of the failure of the policies of the government.”

The PAGD further lambasted the Centre for its use of repressive measures in Kashmir. “In the meeting of political leaders with the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 24th June, 2021, the Prime Minister acknowledged ‘Dil Ki Doori ore Dili Say Doori’ while promising to correct this distance. Unfortunately, nothing has been done in this regard since that meeting. Arbitrary detentions and excessive use of force continue to be the norm in Jammu and Kashmir.”

The PAGD also condemned the killing of a civilian by the CRPF in the name of security breach. “The killing of Yasir Ali yesterday evening is the direct result of the heightened state of alert and justification for use of force. Harassment of innocent civilians and killings like Yasir Ali will only serve to worsen the situation in Jammu & Kashmir. The administration must do everything possible to ensure that shoot at sight policy is not adopted by the Security Forces.”

In what is being seen by a section of people in Kashmir as a “reprisal”, security forces shot down a civilian in Anantnag, Kashmir, on October 7. The gunning down of the man, Yasir Ali, came hours after militants killed a Principal and a teacher, both from the minority community in Kashmir, at a school in the Eidgah locality of Srinagar.

Commenting on the killing by the security forces, Vijay Kumar, Inspector General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir, had later clarified: “The vehicle rushed towards the naka party. It was then challenged by the troops on duty. Troops fired in self-defence and one person died.”