Kishtwar:Asserting that the union government was working under a dangerous plan to further create communal divide in Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party today criticised the plans to arm civilians in Chenab Valley.
“The Union Home Ministry through the state administration has finalised the plan to create Village Defence Committees (VDCs) in around a dozen villages of Kishtwar and elsewhere in erstwhile Doda district. Most unfortunately these VDCs, being setup in the garb of anti-militancy grid, are being constituted in a particular community further alienating the other peace loving people of the region”, former legislator and senior PDP leader Firdous Tak said here in a
press conference.
District President Sheikh Nasir Hussain, Ishtiyaq Hussain Waza, Arshid Giri, Haji Mohammad Iqbal, Wasil Doolwal, Ghulam Hassan, Haji Abdul Rasheed, Gulnaz Begum besides senior party functionaries were present.
He said that from the last several months the Bhartiya Janta Party is working on a plan in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and Jammu Muslims are the main target of these designs. “The failure of the administration to address basic issues of the region besides its compulsion not to expose people responsible for the target killings in Kishtwar has caused a serious dent to the image of the party in theregion. Now the party is going back to its old drama of raising communal issues and creating wedge among the communities to further its political designs”, he said.
The former PDP legislator said that the administration is the Chenab Valley have been directed to establish new VDCs when already around 28000 VDC members are active. “The list of the areas where the VDCs are to be created has come directly from the union government which itself speaks about the designs behind the move”, he said adding, “Toour knowledge even the list of those who are to be employed as VDC members have come directly from the BJP leadership which clearly indicates that RSS men are being armed”.
Tak said that arms stand already issued to some people while the formal process was underway. “We have been told that the entire process will be completed in next one week”, he said adding, arming people with particular ideology and beliefs is like adding fuel to fire.
He said that union government was since long trying to re-start Ikhwan movement in the state and the new plan is the party of greater conspiracy. “It is the first attempt in this direction. My fears are that this plan will further fuel communal tension in the region only to benefit a particular political organisation”, he said adding that the common people are being used as cannon fodder for further political designs of Sangh Parivar.
The PDP leaders urged the state administration to immediately withdraw such directive in the larger interest of Jammu and Kashmir and its citizens. The party called for protest demonstration at Kishtwar on July 19 in case the administration failed to roll back the order
immediately.