Opposition National Conference (NC) on Saturday said Mehbooba Mufti’s “belated” visit to Kupwara was a classic case of ‘too little, too late’, especially after the Chief Minister chose to remain in New Delhi while the youth were losing their lives in the Valley.In a statement, the NC Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani questioned Mehbooba Mufti’s “purely political, partisan” meetings in New Delhi while the youth were being killed in Kupwara and asked the Chief Minister to clarify what apparent sense of urgency compelled her to meet BJP President Amit Shah and General Secretary Ram Madhav in Delhi when she should have rushed back to the Valley as soon as possible.“All these meetings were aimed at safeguarding her own political interests and those of her party and her continued refusal to rush back to the Valley is unpardonable. Then the insensitive, ruthless act of presenting a bouquet of flowers to the Prime Minister at a time of such misery and pain in the Valley is contemptuous to the bereaved families and the people of the State in general,” he said.Wani also questioned the handling of the situation by the State Administration and said new established procedures to prevent loss of lives were not followed as there was complete chaos and disarray due to the continued absence of the Chief Minister from her duties as the Head of the Unified Command and as the Home Minister of the State.
“Mehbooba Mufti’s ‘instructions’ to the Police and Security Forces to exercise restraint has little meaning now after we have already lost six innocent lives in the same district within a period of three days. For three days Mehbooba Mufti continued with her meetings and courtesy calls in New Delhi while the Valley was on the brink. This compounded the situation and resulted in further loss of lives,” he added.The shocking disparity in the visibility of Cabinet Minister between the NIT and the Handwara episodes is also a reflection of PDP’s priorities in ruling the State. PDP Ministers were on TV channels assuring the nation of the safety of non-local students at NIT almost every other hour despite being completely sidelined by the Union HRD Ministry. On the contrary, we haven’t seen a single PDP Minister assure the youth of Kupwara and Handwara of their safety since the last four days. Are these not our children too? Don’t they deserve these assurances? Where has the entire Cabinet suddenly disappeared? Mehbooba Mufti should address the media and answer these vital questions. She cannot escape scrutiny and responsibility as the Chief Minister of the State”, the NC Provincial President further said while speaking to reporters at party headquarters in Srinagar. (CNS)