Mufti is master in sugarcoating poison as remedy: Gilani

The veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani, has said that new puppet Chief Minister of occupied Kashmir, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, is an Indian by conviction and is very much dangerous for the Kashmir cause.

Syed Ali Gilani in an interview at his residence in New Delhi said that Mufti Sayeed wanted to harm Kashmiris by claiming that he was their friend. He said that whatever Mufti Sayeed was doing was only in the interests of India and he was a master in sugarcoating poison as remedy. His party Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has always played political games, he added.

“The only difference between the PDP and the BJP is their approach. The BJP has an aggressive approach and wants to impose its policy on Kashmir. That is open and we have to resist them. Mufti is doing it in a new way. He wants to harm us by claiming he is a friend of the people. He is showing sympathy but his intention is exactly the same as the BJP’s,” he warned.

Syed Ali Gilani said, “As far as the Kashmir cause is concerned, Mufti is much more dangerous. A look at his long political life shows how staunch an Indian he has always been. Whatever he is doing is only in the interests of India. We have no illusion about it.”

The veteran leader castigated Mufti Sayeed’s first comments after taking over as the puppet chief minister wherein he said that Hurriyet leaders, militants and Pakistan helped in the holding of peaceful elections in the territory. “The hard reality is that those who called for an election boycott were not even allowed to step out; everybody was jailed. He twisted this fact. The statement was aimed at creating confusion. He is the head of the administration, why doesn’t he make public a record of the mass crackdown before the elections? Everybody knows Pakistan had no interest in the elections. How could militants help the poll process? First, there aren’t many, and those active are fighting and sacrificing their lives,” he maintained.

Referring to the release of Masarrat Aalam Butt, the veteran leader said that he was released because he was under illegal detention. “The way the BJP and New Delhi have reacted to Aalam’s release, is an eye-opener even for Mufti. The way the Indian government reacted and all the statements made in Indian Parliament expose the truth behind tall claims about democracy and rule of law in Kashmir,” he added.

The veteran leader pointed out that the change of political set-up in Kashmir would not affect the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir.