Mehbooba appeals to people to reject those attempting to fragment J&K

Srinagar: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti Saturday said the society needs to collectively reject the nefarious moves aimed at fragmenting Jammu and Kashmir to weaken the special status of the state.

"Recent statement of some right-wing political leaders using lure of sops for a particular community, tactical mandate for Lok Sabha elections by some parties and fielding of proxies clearly point to a design to fragment the popular mandate of the people of the state," Mufti said addressing a party workers' convention at Tangmarg in Baramula Lok sabha constituency.

She said such forces want to "peddle lies" that only Kashmiri-speaking Muslims of the Valley are for the special status of the state. "Division of our state along sectarian lines and aggravating the fault lines are the ways and means of fragmenting our state and weaken our special status and thus dilute its Muslim-majority character," she said. "Those igniting the fires of Gujjar-Pahari, Shia–Sunni, North-South divide are the real enemies of Jammu and Kashmir who need to be outrightly rejected," she added.

On the clashes between inmates and the staff at the Central Jail here, the former chief minister said reports on the issue so far sound conflicting. "However, if the reports of shifting inmates outside the state are true, it needs a serious rethink so as to not further the already inflammable situation," she said.

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