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There is ‘‘ hot’’ talk in Jammu and Kashmir that chief minister and ruling PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is ‘&#...

There is ‘‘ hot’’ talk in Jammu and Kashmir that chief minister and ruling PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is ‘‘changing’’. He suddenly has adopted a ‘‘middle stance’’ which is visible from his recent statements. CM remarked that India says that ‘‘Kashmir is its soul’’while Pakistan says that ‘‘it is incomplete without Kashmir’’. Observers feel that nowadays Mufti is trying to project that (Jammu and) Kashmir has its own identity.

In the assembly speech he even described the opposition National Conference’s autonomy demand as a ‘‘demand within the Constitution of India’’. Many are surprised. Observers see it as ‘‘pressure tactics’’ on the Centre. They feel that CM wants to create a atmosphere so that Congress does not to make any change in guard (CM) in November, when according to the pact between the two, Congress has to take over the reins of Chief Ministership.

In the name of the father

After a few months silence things are apparently not going well in the Abdullah family. And the issue is Farooq Abdullah’s re-discovered love for the BJP. His son and National Conference chief Omar Abdullah is not in favour of returning to the BJP (NDA) camp. In recent Jammu corporation elections, the NC shared a platform with the BJP after Farooq Abdullah made an announcement in this regard. However, Omar wanted the NC to remain neutral. Insiders say that loyalists wanted that Farooq Abdullah should take charge of political fight against the arch rival PDP in the state, however, junior Abdullah’s team feels there is no such need. ‘‘Omar has proved his stuff as leader’’one of them said.

No, Minister

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Chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Finance minister Muzaffar Hussain Beig are not getting on well either. When the opposition National Conference (NC) was charging the government on alleged backdoor appointments (NC says these are PDP workers) in the Valley, Beig passed the buck to the CM. He said that these appointments were made on Mufti’s behest. On few other controversies also Beig did not own the responsibility and gave an impression that he has nothing to do with the matter. In the past also there had been speculations about Beig ditching the chief minister.

Crafting employment

The state government is not only attempting to boost terrorism. There are also measures in the pipeline to take Valley handicrafts to the Indian market. Fifteen years of the militancy have broken the backbone of handcraft in the valley, however, now to provide better market for Valley craftsmen in the country, the Satellite centre of Indian Institute of Carpet Technology and Craft Development Institutes have become operational at Srinagar. These two institutes will provide design, quality and marketing services to the traders of carpets and other crafts of the Valley.

Guests from PoK

It was obviously an historic event. Visiting members of the Pakistan India Forum for Peace and Democracy organisation from Pak occupied Kashmir (PoK) witnessed the proceedings of ongoing Budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. This was the first such occasion after Partition. They were welcomed by the members of the House with much thumping of benches. In fact, few seats are left vacant in the J&K Assembly for those constituencies which fall in the part of J&K which is under the occupation of Pakistan (PoK) now.

Complied by Rakesh Rocky