Kashmir parties not impressed with Amit Shah's four-day visit to valley

The two Kashmir centric parties National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party opine that the visit only brought more problems to Kashmir rather than giving any relief.

“Before the HM arrived in Kashmir, hundreds of bikes were seized and those whose bread and butter was connected with it got the worst hit. The Prime Minister has been saying that he wants to remove Dil Ki Doori (the distance from the heart), but how will such steps end this?” questioned Provincial spokesperson of NC, Imran Nabi Dar.

He said a new security situation has risen as new bunkers are coming up.

“There is an environment of fear among people in the city. The situation should be analyzed by the government and administration,” he said.

Referring to speeches of Shah in J&K, the NC spokesman said, “It is good to talk to people and media but things should be practically applicable which is not happening.”

PDP spokesperson Tahir Sayeed said the party had not many expectations from the HM’s visit. “We were not expecting anything big. But at least it was expected that the HM’s visit would be a follow up of an ‘all party meeting’ that was held between Prime Minister and representatives of political parties from Jammu and Kashmir in June this year. And instead there was nothing positive,” Sayeed said.

He claimed that the visit had a “negative message” for the youth and distances with youth have increased very much. .

President J&K Pradesh Congress Committee, Ghulam Ahmad Mir termed Shah’s visit as “failure”. “ Amit Shah’s visit was a total failure,” he said, adding that the “visit only added to the miseries of the people.”

“The claims about developmental projects that HM made have been done during the UPA government. This government has added nothing new. They are packaging things in a way to show the rest of the country that all is well in J&K,” Mir said.

The J&K Congress president said during the direct rule of BJP, the rate of unemployment has increased.

BJP state spokesman Altaf Thakur termed HM’s visit to J&K a “game changer”. “For the development of J&K, it was an excellent visit,” Thakur said.

"There was a big message that Shah sahib gave during his visit that he wants friendship with the youth of Kashmir. He told them categorically that Kashmiri youth have the same right like that in any other part of the country. .. The visit is surely a game changer for J&K,” he said.

Apni Party Vice President and former minister Ghulam Hassan Mir said Shah’s visit is always important especially to a place which faces regular law and order situation.

“Home Minister gave a calendar for elections and statehood. Though it is irritating for all of us as we were expecting the government of India will give statehood status first and later hold elections."

"But he gave indication that first there will be elections and statehood will be given later. It was against the expectations of the people. Ultimately they will have to do it, we can only demand,” the Apni Party leader said.

He said that overall the reach out programme to youth by HM was a wonderful move