Accusing successive governments of ignoring remote and border areas like Tangdar and Karen and using them for their vote bank politics, AIP President Er. Rasheed has said that the condition of roads, bridges, schools, health institutions and various other infrastructure has exposed the hollow claims of development of border areas.While addressing public gathering at Tangdar today Er. Rasheed said “While Tangdar is providing job opportunity to thousands of non-state subjects in army, BSF and other forces, they have been deprived even from a tunnel at Sadhna that would have enabled the Chokibal Karnah road remain open throughout the year. Government seems interested only in ensuring shelling at the borders so that blood, self-respect and property of border residents are used to fight the battle for elections in Delhi and Islamabad from time to time.While everyone claims to be world having changed into a global village but the miseries and suffering of people of J&K seem everlasting and are subservient to egos and interests of power structures. Almost every family is having his blood relationship on other side of the LOC, still they are not allowed to cross the stones throw distance because of the bloody line of control.
Not only that but the shameful part of the story is that anyone from rest of the state wishing to travel Karnah valley has to seek prior permission in writing which is humiliating and time consuming process without having any logic. While people on the other side of LOC are enjoying better basic immunities, the border residents on this side of LOC don’t get proper share even in belt forces”. Er. Rasheed appealed government to lift unnecessary curbs of various soughts in the entire Karnah valley and develop roads without excuses and delay. He said that every government promised a tunnel at Sadhna but no one fulfilled the promise. He lashed out at Congress and BJP over their exchange of arguments over surgical strikes. He said while people in border areas are living in constant fear, It is shameful that rather solving Kashmir dispute the two main national parties seem engaged in hitting Kashmiris and just use every bullet at borders for their political gains”.Er. Rasheed reiterated that NC and PDP have exploited people of border areas by encouraging ethnic and regional divide and thus diverting the attention from real issues. Er. Rasheed added that the perception that residents of border areas are not interested in resolution of Kashmir dispute is fabricated and false as border areas have suffered most since 1947 with people getting martyred and handicapped and huge properties getting destroyed almost every year because of the conflict.Er. Raheed appealed people of Karnah to support AIP as the party has been representing sentiments, aspirations and sacrifices of Kashmiris at all plate forms with sincerity and believes in overall development of every region. Other who addressed the gathering included Fayaz Karnaie and Zahoor Ahmad Qureshi. (PTK)