- Mehbooba Mufti Questions US Role, Says J&K Issues Must Be Addressed by New Delhi
SRINAGAR, AUGUST 20: Peoples Democratic Party president and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said the United States should not be viewed as an authority on Jammu and Kashmir, arguing that Washington’s interventions in different parts of the world had often produced instability and destruction rather than lasting solutions.
Her remarks came a day after US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor visited Srinagar and, during a joint media interaction with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, described Jammu and Kashmir as an important part of India and an exceptionally beautiful region. The envoy had also indicated that the United States could reconsider its existing travel advisory for Jammu and Kashmir in view of what he described as improved security conditions.
Reacting to the Ambassador’s observations, Mehbooba said there was no reason to attach excessive importance to American certification or political commentary on Jammu and Kashmir.
She maintained that the United States had intervened in several countries over the decades and argued that such involvement had frequently resulted in conflict and disruption. Referring to countries including Vietnam and Iran, she said Jammu and Kashmir did not need validation from Washington before political dialogue or reconciliation could take place.
The PDP president further claimed that America’s global influence had declined over time because of its role in conflicts and interventions across different regions. She said the political future of Jammu and Kashmir should therefore not depend on how Washington viewed the region.
Mehbooba also pointed out that visits by American diplomats to Jammu and Kashmir were not unprecedented. According to her, foreign ambassadors visiting the region before 2019 would often interact with a wider range of people, including representatives of tourism, trade and travel sectors, as well as individuals holding differing political opinions.
She alleged that visits by foreign dignitaries after the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status in 2019 had become more controlled and limited in nature.
The PDP chief, however, agreed with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s position that solutions to Jammu and Kashmir’s political and governance-related concerns would have to come from New Delhi rather than from the United States.
She said the responsibility for addressing the concerns of the people rested primarily with the Union Government and argued that the elected leadership of Jammu and Kashmir should use every available political channel to raise those issues.
At the same time, Mehbooba criticised Omar Abdullah for what she described as insufficient advocacy on matters affecting ordinary people. She said the Chief Minister should have used his interaction with the visiting Ambassador to highlight concerns being voiced by sections of the population.
She also referred to the political outreach undertaken during the tenure of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, arguing that engagement with different sections of society and dialogue between India and Pakistan had once created space for reconciliation.
Mehbooba called for renewed attention to cross-Line of Control links and said routes such as Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot should be considered for reopening, particularly where trade and people-to-people contact had been suspended.
She urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to persuade the Centre to address what she described as the everyday political, economic and security-related difficulties faced by people in Jammu and Kashmir.
The PDP president also criticised the present institutional position of the elected Chief Minister, alleging that the office had been weakened under the Union Territory framework. She said the elected government should nevertheless use its political mandate more assertively to represent public concerns before New Delhi.
On a more positive note, Mehbooba welcomed the possibility of the United States reviewing its travel advisory for Jammu and Kashmir.
She expressed hope that any easing of the advisory would be accompanied by stronger economic engagement with the region, particularly in sectors such as horticulture and handicrafts.
According to her, foreign investment and wider market access in these traditional sectors could generate employment and provide tangible economic benefits to local communities.