Peoples’ Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday drew similarities between Kashmir and Egypt where hundreds of thousands of people have been protesting on roads leading to the ouster of their “autocratic” ruler. “The people in Egypt were fighting for democracy and we are fightinginspite of democracy for the past 60 years,” Mehbooba said at her residence in Srinagar while addressing a press conference. “I congratulate the people of Egypt for what they have achieved. But at the same time I appreciate the army of Egypt. They protected their people during this crisis,” she said.
Mehbooba criticized the government at centre for not acknowledging the transition of people in Kashmir from “violence to peaceful protests”.
“After 9/11 there was a transition in Kashmir from bullet to ballot but unfortunately central leadership ignored that transition. That is the reason what we witnessed in Kashmir in the last three years,” she said.
Citing the differences in Egyptian and Kashmiri leadership, she also lashed at the State government. “When people came out in Egypt, nobody accused them of being one or the other. But here when people came out on roads demanding justice, our own government labeled them as Lashkar-e-Toiba, paid agents and now they are telling that the thousands of youth pelting stones on roads were drug addicts. The leadership is maligning its own people,” she said.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah responded to the Mehbooba’s comments on social networking site Twitter. “She wants army rule in Kashmir as well since her party is in opposition,” Omar tweeted.
