Mehbooba ashamed of terrorists’ Islam, proud of Mohammad’s Islam

‘Officers should keep their personal life private, never make it public’

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

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SRINAGAR, Jun 30: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday offered yet another affront to Kashmir’s Muslim clergy while alleging that it had abdicated its social responsibility and clarifying that she was proud to be a devout Muslim. Hitting hard on the form of Islam professed and propagated by jihadist militant outfits, Chief Minister asserted that she was proud of Islam preached and propagated by prophet Mohammad but ashamed of the religion practiced by terrorist outfits in the name of Islam.

While narrating her agony over the killing of eight CRPF personnel at Pampore in a fidayeen attack claimed by Lashkar-e-Tayyiba on June 25, Mehbooba said: “I had eight coffins in front of me. It was terribly traumatic and agonising. One feels terribly pained at the thought of bodies coming home to families and children. Who is benefitted out of it?”

She said that in the past she had also visited families of the militants killed in encounters with security forces. “In a jiffy, a pall of gloom is cast over their parents and children. On the other side, Police and security forces lay down their lives. Civilians get killed. Consequences would be horrible if God forbid forces had retaliated (in Pampore). They (militants) do it at crowded places, thinking that civilians would get killed in retaliation and their job would become easier”, Mehbooba said on the floor of Assembly in her concluding speech before the summer session of 32 days came to an end.

It was Chief Minister’s first speech after taking oath as a member of Legislative Assembly following her victory in the June 22 by-election in Anantnag.

Unfazed by the barrage of criticism from some cleric-politicians, including Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, over her tirade against clergy, Mehbooba said: “I am a Muslim and have unflinching faith in the religion of Islam, the religion of Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, not the religion of those who slaughter human beings with chanting of Allah-0-Akbar. They people are in fact defaming Islam. And it is all the more unacceptable as they do it in the holy month of Ramzan when there are riders even on legitimate things”.

“I am being castigated and labelled as anti-clergy. How can I be against the clergy as I come from the dynasty of clerics who preached Islam. Even the birds would remain attentive and stop chirping when my grandfather used to deliver sermon on Islamic teachings. I just complain that our clergy has abdicated its social responsibility. We expect them to speak in mosques and congregations against the evil of drug addiction that has menacingly afflicted our society---terribly in Jammu, and Kashmir as well. People at Makhdoom Sahab shrine narrated to me how young boys at a park their administer drugs with syringes. I believe clergy could help us. People do listen to them and respect them when they speak at mosques. They don’t listen to we politicians” Mehbooba said.

Chief Minister it was shameful and disgusting that members of Legislature had raised hullabaloo in the House with the allegation of attempt to suicide against a lady officer. She pointed out that nobody had expressed concern over the large number of suicides reported every day all over the state. “For God’s sake, don’t lower sanctity of this House. For 8 days you people shouted that an anonymous lady officer has cut her wrist. Every lady officer has become suspect.  Instead, there should have been a discussion on the reasons behind these suicides. At the same, officers should strictly keep their personal lives private. Never make them public”, Mehbooba said in response to some MLAs’ demand of action against two IAS officers over an alleged attempt of suicide by a Deputy Commissioner.

 Mehbooba claimed that often such hullabaloo was the result of personal rivalry and vested interest. She referred to the uproar of the MLAs of different political parties over permitting non-State subjects in participating in auction of alluvial deposit of rivers in Kathua district. “When, of late, I called the list of the dealers there, I was surprised to find that the beneficiaries there are relatives of the politicians of all political parties”, Mehbooba said. She urged the politicians to highlight the matters of public importance and rise above personal considerations.

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[Published in today’s STATE TIMES]