Mehbooba Mufti has strongly criticized the central government’s policies since 2019, stating that they have failed on every front, domestically and internationally. She condemned the recent action taken against environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk, describing him as a peace-loving individual who cares deeply about the environment.
Reacting to the ongoing unrest in Ladakh, Mufti said, “As you know, the people of Ladakh are very peace-loving. Whenever they have protested, they have done so peacefully. But since 2019, when our special status was taken away unconstitutionally, the people of Ladakh were very happy; they felt they had received a Union Territory.”
On Situation In Ladakh
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She compared the current situation in Ladakh with that of Jammu and Kashmir, “Jammu and Kashmir has been turned into an open prison; no one is allowed to speak. But what has happened in Ladakh is only to protect their identity, resources, and culture. What the central government is doing is trying to take away all this from the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, and the people of Ladakh have understood this. They feel they will lose all their land to big outsiders and businessmen. They are scared.”
Mufti highlighted the demand for the Sixth Schedule by the people of Ladakh, “If we don’t stand up and protect our things, and if we don’t get the Sixth Schedule, we will lose everything. That’s why we saw outrage yesterday, because the promises made by the Home Ministry over the past several years have not been fulfilled.”
She also reminded the central government of Ladakh’s peaceful history, “I think the central government should understand that when there was violence in Kashmir and Jammu, Ladakh stood with its country. During the Kargil War, Ladakh was peaceful, whereas today, Ladakh has been burning due to the central government’s wrong policies since 2019.”
Mufti warned of future challenges, “Ladakh is our border state, China has already occupied 5,000 square kilometers, and if the BJP continues to treat Ladakh like this, the times ahead will be very challenging.”
Defense Of Sonam Wangchuk
Mufti defended Sonam Wangchuk, stating, “Sonam Wangchuk is a very peace-loving person, an environmentalist; he cares about our mountains. He even marched to Delhi. He is a peaceful person. Today, even his patience ran out.”
She drew parallels with other regions, “What they did to Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, they want to do the same to Ladakh. The country’s big businessmen are looking for an opportunity to encroach on Ladakh, while the people of Ladakh want to protect it.”
“So they burned BJP offices and police trucks. We condemn this, but we need to see why people are angry.”
Call For Dialogue And Action
Mufti emphasized the need for sincere dialogue, “I believe that unless Delhi takes action through dialogue, it will not fulfill what it says. They hold meetings but do not act.”
She also pointed to growing fear in the region, “The fear that the people of Ladakh are feeling is evident in the way they are not renewing the leases of our hoteliers. The same fear is there in Ladakh. This fear will be allayed by action from the central government, not by rhetoric.”
“Just as you have turned Jammu and Kashmir into an open prison, if you want to do the same with Ladakh, I believe the consequences will be very bad.”
Mufti said the current unrest reflects growing disillusionment, “This was the anger of the people because they had understood the BJP’s policies over time. The policies they adopted after 2019 have failed everywhere, even internationally. They have been exposed, so they have made someone a scapegoat to hide their failures.”
She commented on the absence of strong opposition, “If Congress had so much support, the situation would have been different. This was spontaneous. People felt that their resources, culture, and jobs were being attacked, so they came forward.”
Concluding, she said, “I condemn the action taken against Sonam Wangchuk. He has a very good record; he has received awards, and he has followed Gandhi’s policies.”
She criticized the government’s divisive narrative, “They call Muslims who have lived here for thousands of years infiltrators, and here they even say that people came from outside, from Nepal, from Doda. They don’t want to justify their policies; they want to hide them.”
