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Pak journalist says Farooq Abdullah & Mehbooba Mufti are thriving on the Kashmir conflict industry
NEW DELHI: In yet another possible solution for the Kashmir dispute, a Pakistani journalist has called on authorities to withdraw from the resource-rich Himalayan region, allowing its people to determine their own future.
During a speech at the Pakistan Literature Festival (PLF) held in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), journalist and columnist Wusat Ullah Khan highlighted the failure of Islamabad and New Delhi to reach a mutually agreeable resolution to their decades-long dispute over Kashmir.
Amid chants of ‘azadi’, Khan blamed the “conflict industry” working to keep the Kashmir issue alive for its own benefit. He said former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were part of this industry.
“This (Kashmir) issue goes beyond mere politics; it has become a thriving industry. The financial stability of the Kashmir Committee relies heavily on this industry, and the livelihoods of figures like Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, and the entire political class of Azad Kashmir (PoK) are intertwined with its success,” he told the audience.
Notably, the Pakistan parliament has a dedicated committee on Kashmir with a mandate to coordinate all efforts to realize their goal of Kashmir’s integration into PoK. The committee mobilises funds, weapons and training for Islamic terror organisations to send their men across the border. It has often been subjected to scrutiny over misappropriation of funds.
The scribe further said that leaders of Farooq Abdullah, who heads the J&K National Conference, and Mehbooba Mufti, the chairperson of the J&K People’s Democratic Party (PDP), are thriving on the conflict industry and one should not expect them to find a workable solution.
“Given these circumstances, why would they take any actions that might jeopardize their own prospects? With government vehicles, subsidies and allowances at their disposal, they have little incentive to think outside the box or explore alternative solutions,” he said.
India and Pakistan have fought two wars for control over the Kashmir region, but have failed to reach any mutually agreeable solution. The dispute stems from Pakistan’s desire to control the Muslim-dominated territory – further made complex by a United Nations intervention requiring a referendum.
Resolved to get control over the territory by any means, Pakistan has launched two invasions on India and changed demography in both parts of Kashmir in collusion with terrorists and politicians.
