Mehbooba denies Amit Shah's allegations
Srinagar, June 24 : Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday denied emphatically that she discriminated against Jammu and Ladakh regions and wondered why none of the BJP ministers spoke about it till now if it was true.
In a string of tweets, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief said that whatever happened during the time of the PDP-BJP rule in the state was in accordance with the Agenda of Alliance (AoA) the two parties had drawn up.
"Many false charges levelled against us by our former allies," she said, in response to Amit Shah's statements made in Jammu a day earlier.
"Our commitment to the AoA, co-authored by (BJP leader) Ram Madhav and endorsed by senior leaders like Rajnath (Singh) never wavered. It is sad to see them disown their own initiative and label it a 'soft approach'.
"Status quo on Article 370, dialogue with Pakistan and Hurriyat were a part of AoA. Encouraging dialogue, withdrawing cases against stone-pelters and the unilateral ceasefire were much needed measures to restore confidence on the ground. This was recognized and endorsed by the BJP.
"Allegations of discrimination against Jammu and Ladakh have no basis in reality. Yes, the (Kashmir) Valley has been in turmoil for a long time and the floods of 2014 were a setback, therefore needed focused attention. But that does not mean that there was any less development elsewhere," she added.
"If anything they (BJP) should review the performance of their own ministers, who largely represented the Jammu region. If there were any such concerns, none among them either at state or central level talked about it during the last three years."
Mehbooba Mufti said that not handing over the Rasana rape and murder case to the CBI, getting the "pro-rapist Ministers" removed from the cabinet and issuing orders not to harass the Gujjar and Bakarwal community in the guise of anti-encroachment drives were her duty as Chief Minister.
"After expressing concern about freedom of expression in J&K following Shujaat (Bukhari)'s murder, their MLA, notorious..., still threatens journalists belonging to the valley. So what are they going to do about him?"
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Kerala-born entrepreneur linked to Lebanon pager blasts, Bulgarian agency clears him of involvement
Wayanad: Rinson Jose, a Kerala-born entrepreneur and Norwegian citizen, has been linked to the investigation into the recent pager explosions in Lebanon that resulted in at least 20 fatalities and thousands of injuries.
Jose, 37, is the owner of Bulgaria-based Norta Global Limited and is suspected of being involved in the supply chain for the pagers used in the attacks on September 17, 2024.
“Although on paper it was BAC Consulting that signed the contract with Gold Apollo, Norta Global was actually the one behind the deal,” Telex, a Hungarian media outlet quoted sources as saying.
Reports suggest that Jose has gone missing since the attacks.
However, an investigation by Bulgaria's security agency, SANS, has cleared Jose and his company of any direct involvement, stating that no shipments related to the pagers passed through Bulgaria.
“Following verifications, it has been indisputably established that no communication equipment corresponding to those that exploded on September 17 was imported, exported or manufactured in Bulgaria,” the agency was quoted as saying by AFP. It added that the company and its owner had not carried out any transactions linked to the sale or purchase of the merchandise or that “falls under laws on terrorism financing".
