Recognise political aspiration of J&K people for new industrial scheme to succeed: Masoodi

Srinagar: National Conference MP Hasnain Masoodi on Sunday said the recently announced Rs 28,400 crore new industrial developmental scheme (IDS) would not fetch any result without taking into account the political aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

The MP from south Kashmir’s Anantnag said the trade bodies must realise that peace and development go hand in hand. Peace would not be possible without the political aspirations of people being respected and addressed, he said.

“It is to be realised that there can be no islands of prosperity in a sea of pain and agony,” Masoodi said in a statement.

He emphasised the recently announced industrial scheme would not fetch any result in absence of an aggressive peace initiative to address the political aspirations of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions.

The NC leader said earlier such announcements — Rs 6,165 crore package in 2002 by then prime minister A B Vajpayee and Rs 80,000 crore package by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 — have not changed anything on the ground.

“The alienation, despite such announcements, has been ever increasing and the unconstitutional measures of August 5, 2019 was nothing less than a misadventure and have further widened the gulf,” he said.

Provisions of Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, were abrogated by the Centre on August 5, 2019.

Masoodi said many lives have been lost in about 100 encounters and the Union territory administration does not muster the courage to restore the high-speed mobile Internet even after over a year of the “assault on the special status” of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

“I implore the trade bodies not to merely parrot the welcome statements made for political reasons or remain confined to OTS, subsidies, and other incentives, but recognise their universal role and articulate the public sentiment in a lawful, dignified and an effective manner,” he said.

Masoodi asked the Government of India to undo the decisions taken August 5, 2019, initiate dialogue with all stakeholders for a lasting peace and open the historical and traditional routes between all regions of Jammu and Kashmir to facilitate trade and travel. (AGENCY)