JAMMU: The newly sworn-in Indian-held Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Sunday said the Hurriyat, militant outfits and “people from across the border” — construed as an oblique reference to Pakistan — allowed a conducive atmosphere for the assembly polls.
“I want to say on record and I have told this to the prime minister, that we must credit the Hurriyat, Pakistan and militant outfits for the conduct of assembly elections in the state,” Sayeed said at a media conference after the swearing-in ceremony, NDTV reported.
Flanked by Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh of BJP and cabinet minister Haseeb Drabu, Sayeed said, “God forbid if they (militants) had done something, it would not have been possible to have a smooth conduct of the elections.”
Thanking the “people from across the border” too, he said, “People from across the border made the atmosphere conducive. They also have assets — Hurriyat, militants... if they had done something (during the election) such a participation of people would not have been possible. This gives us hope.”
AFP adds: Earlier, India’s ruling Hindu nationalist party was sworn into government in the country’s only Muslim-majority state for the first time after an historic power-sharing deal with a bitter regional rival.
Narendra Modi hailed the partnership between his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as a chance to fulfil the aspirations of a region which has endured a sporadic revolt against the Indian rule since 1989.“PDP-BJP govt is a historic opportunity to fulfil the aspirations of the people of J&K and take the state to new heights of progress,” the prime minister said in a tweet, referring to the Indian-held Kashmir (IHK).
After weeks of intensive negotiations, the parties forged a coalition following inconclusive elections two months ago for the IHK assembly.Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the Muslim head of the PDP, was sworn in as the region’s chief minister, along with his cabinet whose members are split roughly equally between the two parties.
In a symbolic gesture, the 79-year-old Sayeed enthusiastically embraced Hindu nationalist Modi, who was on stage to witness the ceremony, held amid tight security in the region’s winter capital of Jammu.
“We want to make the alliance a turning point in history to win the hearts and minds of all people of the state,” Sayeed later told a press conference.Modi and Sayeed, whose parties are staunchly opposed on a range of critical issues in the region, last week finally agreed on a common agenda to jointly rule the IHK.
Unveiled on Sunday, the 16-page agenda says the government will maintain a constitutional provision which allows Kashmir to make its own laws and guarantees autonomy from New Delhi.The BJP has long been committed to its abolition, while the PDP is steadfastly in favour of keeping it.
The new government will also keep in place a draconian law that gives Indian forces sweeping search and shoot-on-sight powers in the IHK, which is seen by critics as a cover for rights abuses.
But Sayeed stressed that he would not hesitate to act against the military if abuses were committed, saying “I am the chief chairman of (a) unified command.”“It is in my direction they have to follow. I will make them accountable.”
The News International Pakistan
