Binoo Joshi
Srinagar
Last time , any statement of significance heard from Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was in September 29 after the Indian surgical strikes at the terrorist camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir when she passionately pleaded for “restraint and reconciliation between India and Pakistan” for any “ escalation in hostilities between the two neighbouring countries could spell more death and destruction for the Himalayan state , already reeling under uncertainty.
Thereafter, she has gone in a silent mode. She has not issued any statement other than customary greetings on festivals and condolences for politicians and others who breathed their last during this period. There were no statements when the army camp was attacked in Baramullah, or when terrorists mounted fidayeen attack at Entrepreneurship Development Institute near Pampore on Monday when SSB convoy was attacked on Friday – something unusual because she had been consistent in condemning such assaults ever since she assumed the office of the Chief Minister on April 4.
If sources are to be believed she was deeply upset with the approach of the security forces in using what she deemed and was fed “excessive force” against protestors, particularly after a young boy Junaid Akhoon was killed in Eidgah area of Srinagar early this month. Her party , “Peoples Democratic Party” not only condemned the killing , claiming that the boy was killed at a time when there were no protests in the congested residential enclave in Srinagar downtown – something that the police challenged. PDP had also sought an inquiry into the incident , obviously the party could not have issued such a statement without the consent of Mehbooba who doubles up as PDP president and Chief Minister.
This sounded some sort of a paradox . The ruling party seeking probe into the killing of the boy from its own government sounded odd . She has voiced her annoyance with silence or maybe she reprimanded the police for its action . It is her style of politics . Even when her father was Chief Minister twice, she would raise voice against the Government on the issues of the alleged human rights violations . This time, she expressed her anger through the party statement .
Her silence has multiple interpretations , and one of the most significant among those is that she is contemplating some big political move as two statements of her party in the subsequent days have hinted at party’s commitment to work for the urges and aspirations of the people .
