Separatism can’t be jailed; has to be addressed through dialogue, reconciliation: PDP

Srinagar: Separatism is an idea which cannot be confiscated or jailed and has to be addressed through dialogue and reconciliation, the PDP has said.
It also said the Centre’s current approach is only “serving to further alienate” Kashmiris and strengthen the separatist sentiment.
In the January edition of its monthly newsletter ‘Speak Up’, which was released here on Tuesday, the party said the gulf of “mistrust” between Kashmiris and other Indians is now “wider than ever”.
“That is why on top of Aaadhar and other mandatory ID documents, Kashmiris will now be required to have a ‘JK family ID’ that ties individuals to their families so they can avail social benefits. This unique family ID will be just another way for the government to tighten its iron grip around us so they can profile and surveil Kashmiris wherever they go,” the PDP said.
The party, led by Mehbooba Mufti, said Kashmiris were nothing more than the inhabitants of a coveted piece of land – a fact that is made evident by the different land laws that are thrown us at every few months.
“The latest of these is the Land Grant Rules-2022 under which leased land will have to be surrendered to the government. This is another land grab by GOI that will uproot local businesses, hotels and other establishments,” it said.
The land will eventually be taken over by “their corporate friends” just like many airports, railways stations, LIC and other national assets, it claimed.
“These drastic changes to our land laws in the name of reforms that end owners’ rights to their properties is another attempt to disempower our citizens and take away their land,” the newsletter said.
The PDP said the figures presented in Parliament about the actual investment in Jammu and Kashmir after 2019 have “called off GOI’s bluff” about the deluge of investments that Kashmir received post the abrogation of Article 370.
“The figures for the last year were less than half of what we received in 2017-18. Contrary to GOI’s false assertions, the abrogation was not the panacea to our problems. Despite leaving no stone unturned, having unleashed every government agency and using every anti-terror law possible, GOI’s thirst for vengeance has not been quenched,” it claimed.
The party said the measures to deal with Kashmir are only becoming more stringent with time as properties worth hundreds of crores that belonged to Jamaat-e-Islami have been seized by the State Investigation Agency (SIA) on the pretext of cracking down on separatism.
“But separatism is an idea and it can’t be confiscated or jailed,” the PDP said.
The party said separatism has to be addressed through dialogue and reconciliation.
“However, through their current approach, GOI is only serving to further alienate Kashmiris and strengthen the separatist sentiment,” it added.
While the Centre claims to be following former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayjee’s footsteps in Kashmir, “this statement couldn’t be further from the truth”, it charged.
“Unfortunately, the chances of this government realizing Vajpayjee’s vision for Kashmir and engaging in dialogue are about the same as the dog eating your homework,” the party said.
Referring to the recent encounter in Sidhra area of Jammu in which four militants were killed, the PDP said it has “exposed false claims” of end of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The recent encounter in Sidhra, if it was an encounter at all, has exposed false claims of the end of militancy in J-K which has now spread to the Jammu region that was relatively more peaceful. And now another heartbreaking incident at Dongri where six people including two children were killed,” it said.