Mehbooba says she can accept going to hell to save Kashmir

Jammu: With Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Omar Abdullah drawing a parallel between the PDP-BJP alliance and the “deal with the devil”, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said she can accept going to hell to save Kashmir.

During his address, Abdullah narrated the story of Faust and Satan – the pact between a person and Satan or a lesser demon in which the person offers his or her soul in exchange for diabolical favours and said today’s situation reminds him of the story.

Abdullah today demanded the constitution of a high-level special investigation team (SIT) to probe the killings of three people in firing by security forces when a convoy was attacked by stone-pelters in Shopian district.

“You (Mehbooba) have also entered into such a trade politically for six years of rule. They (BJP) gave you full six years of rule with respect, dignity, honour, with a design to take away your political soul,” Omar said.

The former CM said the end of this story depends upon you. In case, she (Mehbooba) wants to save herself from the fire of hell (as per the story), then it better to take corrective measures. “You undertake prayers like Faust, bring change in the governance of this state so that you can restore your political soul and save yourself from fire of hell,” he said.

Responding to Omar’s comments, Mufti said she doesn’t believe in mythology and stories. “Now, he (Omar) has left by giving me fatwa of going to hell but I feel that God has given us the paradise – the paradise of Kashmir,” Mehbooba told the Assembly after Omar had left the House.

She said, “I can accept going to hell a hundred times to save this paradise. I will be happy to do that if I can be able to bring people out of this hell here. It will not be a big price for me to pay.”  Mehbooba, who was replying to a discussion on the budgetary demands of the home department, said she can sacrifice herself if people of Jammu and Kashmir could get rid of their agony and pain.

She said it was the mission of former chief minister and her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to pull the people of the state out of the vicious circle of violence. Omar blamed Mehbooba Mufti for selling people with dreams of self rule, dual currency, joint mechanism of legislative body of both sides of Kashmir.

“But what you said here that whatever people of Jammu and Kashmir will get, can be from the Constitution of India and will get nothing outside that,” he said. Mehbooba Mufti said that BJP is biggest and strongest party of the country and it is not a weak one. “We should not insult people who have chosen them (BJP and its alliance partners)to rule the country”, she said while taking a dig at Omar’s remarks.

Reacting to Abdullah’s remarks, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said, “He (Omar) is adding fuel to the fire with his remarks. He has targeted security forces. He has tried to create polarisation between Kashmir and rest of India.”  The deputy chief minister said he had high respect for Abdullah but lost it today.