New Delhi, Sep 27: Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti had not only praised Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, but also had fulsome praise for former prime minister and ailing BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the recent National Integration Council meeting, Navbharat Times reported.
This is the broad transcript of what Mufti said at the NIC meeting: "Recently I went to Chennai and met a Muslim businessman, who told me he had met Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and was very much impressed with his style of working....
"Today, Kashmir needs an initiative, which is now lacking. Without Kashmir, the soul of India, the soul of Indian nationalism is incomplete....
"Even today, people praise Vajpayee because he had opened a dialogue with the people of Kashmir. It is unfortunate that this initiative is not being followed. Vajpayee did not give away Kashmir to Pakistan, nor did he give azaadi to Kashmir....
"It is only because of the security forces that people of Kashmir do not feel themselves to be part of India. The reality is that Kashmir has a spiritual relationship with the mainland. ....
"Indian army is the most disciplined army in the world, but because of some officers, it is being maligned. Those army officers reponsible for fake encounters must be punished. ...
"There must be a judicial commission to probe the circumstances behind mass graves which are unmarked in Kashmir. If the murderers of innocent Kashmiris are punished, then nobody would object to the execution of Afzal Guru or Rajiv Gandhi's killers", said Mehbooba Mufti.
The transcript of Mehbooba's speech is lying with the Home Ministry.
After BJP leader Sushma Swaraj had publicly revealed in Ahmedabad at the conclusion of Modi's three-day-long fast that Mehbooba had praised Modi, the Kashmir leader denied every having made any such remark.
Mehbooba had even challenged the Centre to reveal the entire transcript of her speech at the NIC meet. Both BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley stood by their contention that Mehbooba Mufti had indeed praised Narendra Modi.
