Unnerved Pak, Kashmiri leaders sabotaging normalcy in valley: Rana

Jammu, Aug 18: Senior BJP leader Devender Singh Rana on Friday lashed out at Pakistan and some Kashmiri leaders for trying to sabotage the peaceful atmosphere by sending a “misleading” message across the country on normalcy in the valley to push forward the “agenda of the terror-secessionist ecosystem”.
In a statement issued here, Rana said Pakistan’s latest move to appoint Mushaal Hussein Mullick as Human Rights Minister hailed by certain Kashmiri leaders is an indication to slate the Kashmir sabotage plan across. “But they forget that New Delhi is a New Delhi of New India which will not only fail all their attempts but teach them a lesson on their soil if the need arises,” he added.
“Their politics over the last seven decades has thrived on conflict, disorder and mayhem,” Rana said while interacting with various deputations during a weekly public hearing at the BJP headquarters here, adding, “Transformed Kashmir has instilled new life, new hope for Kashmiris and has cast a spell of doom on certain political players of J&K and their patrons across.”
The BJP leader said 1.80 crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir last year and two crores are expected this year in the aftermath of normalcy dawning with shutdown and stone pelting culture becoming a nightmare of the past. “Isn’t it a parameter of normalcy,” he asked.
“The false propaganda of Pakistan and Kashmiri dejected political players is a sinister design to deprive the people of Kashmir of their legitimate right to live peacefully and pursue their economic activities, which appeared to be a distant dream a few years ago,” Rana said.
He added, “The valley-based so-called mainstream political class has a vested interest in boiling Kashmir to remain glued to power. On the one side, they had been assuring the Delhi power corridors about working towards ending the unrest in the valley and on the other hand they were exploiting religious and separatist sentiments back home. The double-edged weapon served their political interests well till the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, which ended their political hegemony, deceit and duplicity.”
“Isn’t it food for thought for the peace-loving people of Kashmir to understand how the hartal and shutdown culture came to an end after disempowering the political parties with a vested interest,” he asked while seeking an independent probe to find the truth of the widespread belief that the stone pelting had been a weapon of the political class.
By playing a double game, the politicians like Mehbooba Mufti and others have neither done any good to the people of Kashmir nor to New Delhi, which sincerely endeavoured for peace, progress and development of Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP leader said.
He hoped that the people of Kashmir would foil the game plan of these leaders who he said were feeling uncomfortable due to economic activity and tourism trade in the valley besides large-scale investments pouring in to carve out ‘Naya Jammu and Kashmir’ as per the dreams of suffering masses.