Former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday appealed government of India GoI to declare ceasefire during the month of Ramadan on the lines of one declared last year.Addressing a presser here, Mehbooba said that declaring the ceasefire would be a “proof” that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is treading the former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee path of Jamhuriyat, Insaniyat, and Kashmiriyat.“I request them to declare ceasefire for the ensuing holy month. While Modi Ji claims that he is treading the Vajpayee Ji's path of Jamhuriyat, Insaniyat, Kashmir, this initiative would be a proof of Jamhuriyat and Insaniyat if he declares a ceasefire for the month,” Mehbooba said, according to GNS.With the Ramdhan in the offing, she said, she said people more frequently visit the mosques.“I through your medium would like to appeal the GoI that Kashmir being a Muslim majority state where we are already facing trouble, that a ceasefire on the lines of one declared last year be announced this year also,” she said, adding, “I appeal the government to stop the crackdowns, search operations so that the people get some relief during this blessed month. I would also appeal the militants to understand the sanctity of the month and should not make any attacks.”She said the ongoing elections and widespread campaigning going on in India “seems the probable cause that everyone has forgotten about Kashmir.”“It looks like the GoI has made Kashmir a war arena where the government is fighting a war with its own people. Be it the ban on JeI or JKLF and later on the suspension of trade on Muzzafarabad road, the closure of the highway for two days per week and the arrests made day in and day out. All this has created panic among Kashmiris,” he said, adding, “And somewhere today in a newspaper I read that they are trying to intervene in the functioning of JK Bank also with attempts made for the same in the past also.”In the guise of action against militancy, she said, GoI was trying to break the backbone of the people of J&K.“They want to destroy the economy of the state. Due to highway ban, our fruit growers have suffered a lot. The truck owners who would usually ply two or four times a week, now hardly ply for a day,” he said, adding, “The Gujjar Bakerwal community whose livelihood depends on cattle are being harassed by the communal goons. I don't want to name to which they belong. These goons at the behest of local police take away their cattle and harass them.”Since the onset of elections, she said it looks like in the whole of J&K especially in Kashmir Valley hundreds of arrests of young boys have been made in “excuse of” stone pelting with south Kashmir being the prime target. “Hundreds of youth have been arrested in last 3-4 months be it in Pulwama or Shopian district,” she said and asked “In such an environment how will they (govt) go hand in hand with the Kashmiri people.”“On a daily basis we get to read the statements against Art 35A and 370, I would say they have left no stone unturned to push the Kashmiris to the wall. They are choking the space be it the democratic space, financial, economical. The people are getting agitated with each day.”She appealed government of India that if they want to keep along Kashmiris “they should treat us with respect and dignity.”She avoided further questions, saying that “this presser was just to make an appeal for ceasefire.” (GNS)