People's Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti discusses the election scenario with AASHA KHOSA
What is your party’s strategy for the coming Lok Sabha elections?
PDP is fielding candidates on all the six Lok Sabha seats. We are not entering into any local alliance, although many analysts are trying to read much into our party’s recent gesture of playing a role in the victory of a Panthers’ Party candidate in the Legislative Council election recently.
What are the issues you expect the political parties to address in the election campaign?
The economic issues will certainly dominate the election campaign across the country. The fact is that the economic prosperity that we have achieved in the last decade is not evenly distributed across the society and regions. People and smaller parties like ours are looking forward to the major players to spell out policies that would translate this prosperity into visible results on the ground.
From Kashmir’s perspective, what is the key issue in the campaign?
We would like to see the national parties supporting the Indo-Pak peace process. This is crucial for lasting peace in Jammu and Kashmir and also the subcontinent. After all, it was Vajpayeeji who dared to board the bus to Lahore even when insurgency was at its peak in Kashmir. Then, in spite of the Kargil war, he continued the peace process which eventually resulted in a ceasefire on the Line of Control and a long spell of peace.
How would the current turmoil in Pakistan impact the situation in Kashmir?
Kashmir’s situation would take a turn according to the will of its people. Nothing happens in Kashmir unless its people want it. When hordes of people went across the border to get arms training, it was only because Kashmiris were extremely disturbed over the fraudulent Assembly elections. Pakistan only provided support to them. The fact is that Pakistan can only fish in troubled waters of Kashmir, it can’t create troubled waters.
There is talk of some Kashmiri separatist leaders contesting election this time. What is your party’s stand on this?
We have got reports about some individual leaders are planning to contest the election. But it is not the Hurriyat Conference (the umbrella organisation of separatists) which is taking the plunge. So, we are not taking a position on this. But we believe that all separatists should join the political process. After all, Parliament is a big political platform where they can raise several issues.
How do you look at the emergence of the Third Front yet another time?
We are watching the situation. Emergence of regional parties is a good thing for strengthening the federal polity. The leaders of regional parties are definitely more closer and accessible to people than the national parties. Also, the state leaders of national parties do not enjoy as much autonomy as leaders of regional parties do. However, on the flip side, the rise of regional parties sometimes comes in the way of a national vision on issues. But there are teething troubles for a truly federal system, which we would be able to overcome in coming years.
Is the PDP inclined to any of the present formations — UPA, NDA or, for that matter, even the Third Front.
We are not taking a position now. We would decide on this at an appropriate time.
What issues would dominate elections in Jammu and Kashmir?
Parliamentary elections generally do not evoke much interest among the voters. However, the peace process between India and Pakistan and economic issues would remain key issues for us.
J&K is not much affected by the economic slowdown as there is hardly any private sector.
In terms of job losses, things are much better here than in the rest of the country. That is because jobs are mostly in the government sector. But our carpet industry and handicrafts have suffered heavily due to the slowdown across the country and the world at large.
What bothers you most about electioneering?
The mounting expenses of the election campaign is becoming a huge problem for smaller parties like ours. Too much money power is at play in the election. Last time, when I contested the Lok Sabha polls, I realised that some of my rivals, who were contesting as independents, were spending 10 times more than I could afford. Cash-rich political parties like the Congress even hire choppers at the drop of a hat. Something needs to be done to control this.
The bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad is carrying only a few people across the LoC. How do you view this?
After the transfer of power (from PDP to Congress), the Azad government had tried to shift focus from strengthening the peace process to the much-hyped development. It even became complacent about the situation. The overwhelming response of voters in elections had given them a false notion that all was well. In all this, the peace process became a casualty. The decline in the number of travellers on the cross-LoC bus is the result of this policy.
If the situation had improved, then why there was no gradual phasing out of the Army from Kashmir? This could have been a reward to the people who came out in big numbers to vote in elections. Today, people are holding peaceful protests and forcing the Army to be shifted out of their villages, as happened in Bomai recently. This could have been done much earlier and gracefully.
But then we recently saw how militants from Pakistan tried to sneak into Kashmir. Can we ignore this reality?
Unfortunately, both in New Delhi and Islamabad, there is a mindset to view improvement or deterioration in Kashmir alike. When militancy had reached its lowest levels in Kashmir, the Army was not shifted. Similarly, Pakistan too does not believe in demilitarisation of Kashmir.
How do you see Varun Gandhi’s alleged utterances against Muslims?
Varun Gandhi is apparently influenced by the company he keeps. Seeing him on television, saying what he said at an election meeting in Pilibhit, made me feel that he was trying to glorify himself and all his utterances. It did not seem to be a normal way of addressing a meeting. He could have raised concrete issues regarding any community but communalising the situation like this is horrifying.
