Mehbooba hints at creating Attari-Wagha like arrangement in J-K

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday hinted that she is keen to create one more point on the pattern of Attari-Wagha border in Punjab at Abdullian and Baandi Chechiyan villages with a view to develop a historic monument to attract tourists.

In an hour-long informal talk with ETV at her official residence here, she said that she would take up the issue of opening a 'Jammu-Sialkot (Pakistan) route' at an appropriate level to promote local trade between Pakistan and the border areas of Kashmir to further improve the relationship between the two neighbours.

While expressing her "complete trust and faith" in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who according to her, wants to change the development face of the Valley, the Chief Minister cautioned the Centre, "While dealing with Kashmir, we should always keep one thing in mind that Kashmir is different, it is not an another Indian state, here the ground realities are a bit different and therefore, the state deserves a special attention and care."

She also appreciated a recent interview of Arun Jaitely on ETV, wherein he praised her late father's vision and statesmanship and assured that the Centre would provide "all possible help" to rebuild the economy of Jammu and Kashmir, and there would be no dearth of funds for development.

She further said only "massive and all-round" development of Kashmir could change the mood and sentiment of local Kashmiri towards the BJP and the Centre.

She also said she had never thought of becoming the Chief Minister and only wanted to be a minister in her father's cabinet. "Today, unfortunately, the great Mufti Sahib is not here and therefore there was no joy at the time of oath-taking," she added.

She said communal harmony, peace and development would be her top priority in order to restore the confidence of the people in the PDP-BJP alliance.

During the day at the secretariat, she became emotional when a peon handed over her two pens and one handkerchief, saying that her late father used to keep these with him.