Mehbooba Mufti Criticises Centre, Urges Youth to Reject Violence and Return to Vajpayee’s Path
Mehbooba Mufti criticised the Central government for failing to fulfil its promise of empowering Kashmiri youth, saying that instead of receiving laptops as once pledged, many young people are being driven toward extremism and even suicide attacks. Speaking in Srinagar, she expressed concern that the prevailing atmosphere of fear, pressure, and mistrust is pushing the youth onto a destructive path. Mufti urged Kashmiri youngsters to reject violence and resist being used as instruments of conflict, emphasising that such choices only deepen suffering in the region. She called on the Union government to reassess its current policies in Jammu and Kashmir, arguing that these approaches have alienated rather than integrated the people. Recalling former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s Kashmir doctrine—centred on “insaniyat, jamhuriyat, and Kashmiriyat”—she urged a return to dialogue, compassion, and political engagement as the only sustainable route to peace and stability in the Valley.
