In a stark and emotional address, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has issued a grave warning, stating that the youth of the region, who once dreamt of becoming doctors and engineers, are now being pushed towards becoming suicide bombers. She called upon the central government to seriously reflect on the policies that have led to this dangerous transformation.
A Plea to the Youth and a Message to the Centre
Speaking to party leaders on Sunday, Mehbooba Mufti directly appealed to the young people of Jammu and Kashmir, urging them to choose life over a path of destruction. "You have to live your life. You have to live for Kashmir. Learn to live, don't die. We don't want your corpses, we want you," she implored. She emphasized that such actions are not only perilous for the individuals themselves but also for their families, the union territory, and the entire country.
Her comments come in the wake of the recent car bomb explosion near the Red Fort in Delhi on November 10, which is suspected to involve a terror module with links to doctors from Kashmir. "When a doctor says that he wants to die, it is a serious matter for all of us," Mufti remarked, highlighting the alarming shift in the aspirations of Kashmiri youth.
From Stones and Guns to Suicide Vests
Mufti posed a critical question to the central government, asking it to introspect on the mistakes that have culminated in this crisis. "The youth who used to pick up stones and guns have become suicide bombers now. How did our youth come to this?" she questioned. She recalled the government's promises of replacing stones and guns with laptops, accusing them of having failed spectacularly.
She directly linked the current situation to the Centre's decision to abrogate J&K's special status in 2019, calling it a "big blunder" that stripped the people of their rights. "You are suffocating the youth," she warned, using a potent analogy. "When you shut down something, like a pressure cooker, it will come out from somewhere."
The Human Cost and a Poisonous Environment
The PDP chief also referred to the tragic incident in Kulgam, where a 55-year-old man, a neighbour of one of the arrested doctors, set himself on fire. She expressed deep concern over the impact of such desperate acts on the community, stating that it reveals a profound sense of helplessness among the people.
Mufti went on to claim that a "poisonous environment" of religious division and polarization in the country is partly responsible for driving the youth of Kashmir towards extremism. She suggested that those in power might be leveraging this division for electoral gains, but cautioned that "the country is much bigger than a chair." Her speech served as a somber reflection on the deteriorating situation and a desperate call for course correction before it is too late.
