Srinagar, May 23: Member Parliament and senior National Conference leader Aga Ruhullah Mehdi on Saturday said the Centre’s decision to grant constitutional safeguards and a legislative body to Ladakh is “a slap on the face” of Kashmir’s leadership, which he accused of failing to fight for the rights of the people after the abrogation of Article 370.
Speaking to reporters here, MP Ruhullah said the leadership and people of Ladakh have shown how sustained political resistance could force the Government of India to concede demands.
“This is a slap on the face of the leadership of Kashmir. If a small region like Ladakh and its leadership can fight against the Government of India and get their rights, then there is no justification for the leadership of Kashmir,” the Srinagar MP said.
He said he had been repeatedly asserting over the last five to six years that Kashmir’s leadership was not fighting politically for the restoration of the rights of the people.
“This is what I have been saying for the last five to six years, that the leadership of Kashmir is not fighting. The people of Ladakh have shown how to fight,” he said.
Referring to the Centre’s move to provide constitutional protections and a legislative structure to Ladakh, Ruhullah said the development had politically exposed mainstream parties and leadership in Kashmir.
Reacting to BJP leaders’ remarks about filing a missing report to seek Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s whereabouts, the Srinagar MP said, “It should be filed so that we also come to know where he is.”
Ruhullah also paid rich tributes to the revered Sufi saint Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, popularly known as Shah-e-Hamdan, describing him as the architect of Kashmir’s spiritual, cultural and artistic identity.
“Shah Hamdan is the founder of Tauheed, of the religious and spiritual culture of Kashmir. He spread the message of Islam, prophethood, Seerat and unity among religions. He laid the foundation of cooperation and brotherhood in Kashmir,” Ruhullah said.
He said generations of Kashmiris remained indebted to Shah-e-Hamdan for shaping the Valley’s social ethos and artistic traditions.
Ruhullah said traditional crafts such as handicrafts and paper-mache flourished because of the influence of Shah-e-Hamdan and his followers—(KNO)
