STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Expressing concern over the heightened hostilities and unabated ceasefire violations by Pakistan on the Line of Control and International Border, Leader of Opposition in RajyaSabha and Former Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the unprovoked Pakistani firing and shelling in the border areas, especially civilian targets has created a constant state of fear, tension and anxiety among the people residing in the border areas of Jammu & Kashmir.
Slamming the NDA government for miserably failing to put a halt to ceasefire violations by Pakistan as was promised by it to the people of the country, Azad said that persistent ceasefire violations have made the life of people living in border areas miserable and they are forced to lead a life marked by fear, uncertainty and mental stress.
Azad expressed grief and shock on the unfortunate death of jawans and civilians in Pakistani firing, saying that it is painful and heart-rending that our jawans and civilians are laying their lives with regular frequency on the borders due to Pakistani firing.
Azad said that on account of increased hostilities on the borders, residents of these areas have been forced under compelling circumstances to shift to more peaceful areas, leaving their homes and hearths when the chilly winter conditions are at its peak. “I am deeply pained at the miserable plight of our people living in border areas, who are living under constant fear with clouds of uncertainty looming over the horizons”, said Azad, adding that large scale migration of the people in the ongoing chilly weather conditions is agonizing. Azad, while empathising with the people living in border areas, said that their children are unable to receive proper education and they are unable to cultivate their lands and that their lives, properties, livestock, etc remain under perpetual threat due to tension and unprovoked Pakistani firing.
“How long people of the Jammu & Kashmir and the country will be fed with rhetoric’s and hollow promises as the ceasefire violations go on unabated, and NDA government remains insensitive towards the plight and trauma of the people”, said Azad.
Azad said that time has come to act and silence the Pakistani guns as the residents of border areas since July 2014 have suffered unimaginable loss to lives, property, livestock, crops, etc due to unprovoked Pakistani firing and shelling. NDA government should at least be cognizant of the plight and sufferings of the lakhs of people living in the border belt who have been forced to leave their homes and hearths in an extremely chilly weather conditions.
“Our people are living under the shadow of guns since July 2014, when the Pakistani firing began to attain a new high in August-September 2014, acknowledged as the ‘heaviest’ shelling and firing on the borders since 1971 war”, said Azad.
Questioning the NDA Government, Azad asked why the ceasefire violations have not come to an end after the BJP came to power, as was promised so ostentatiously by the Honble Prime Minister and the BJP before the LokSabha elections.
Asserting that every citizen of the country and State deserves what has been promised by the BJP, Azad said that instead of fulfilling its electoral promises of acting very strongly against Pakistan for the continued ceasefire violations, NDA Government has only succeeded in making ceasefire violations endemic to the border belt of J&K.
“If the ceasefire violations have risen to an unprecedented scale after the NDA Government came to power in the Centre, how can one draw the conclusion that we are having a strong government in place which is being taken seriously by the Pakistani establishment”, said Azad.
Coming down heavily on the NDA and BJP for its unfounded and uncalled for criticism of UPA Government, Azad said that if UPA Government was “weak” as BJP leaders used to pontificate, how should one rate the current NDA Government keeping in view the scale and magnitude of the ceasefire violations after its takeover.
Azad said that NDA Government’s Pakistan policy is marked by inconsistencies and flip-flops of weird proportions, thus emboldening the Pakistani forces to carry out its misadventures.
