IHK polls not possible sans Pak help: Mufti Sayeed

JAMMU: The newly sworn-in Indian-held Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Sunday said the Hurriyat, militant outfits and “people from across the border” — construed as an oblique reference to Pakistan — allowed a conducive atmosphere for the assembly polls.

“I want to say on record and I have told this to the prime minister, that we must credit the Hurriyat, Pakistan and militant outfits for the conduct of assembly elections in the state,” Sayeed said at a media conference after the swearing-in ceremony, NDTV reported.

Flanked by Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh of BJP and cabinet minister Haseeb Drabu, Sayeed said, “God forbid if they (militants) had done something, it would not have been possible to have a smooth conduct of the elections.”

Thanking the “people from across the border” too, he said, “People from across the border made the atmosphere conducive. They also have assets — Hurriyat, militants... if they had done something (during the election) such a participation of people would not have been possible. This gives us hope.”

AFP adds: Earlier, India’s ruling Hindu nationalist party was sworn into government in the country’s only Muslim-majority state for the first time after an historic power-sharing deal with a bitter regional rival.

Narendra Modi hailed the partnership between his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as a chance to fulfil the aspirations of a region which has endured a sporadic revolt against the Indian rule since 1989.“PDP-BJP govt is a historic opportunity to fulfil the aspirations of the people of J&K and take the state to new heights of progress,” the prime minister said in a tweet, referring to the Indian-held Kashmir (IHK).

After weeks of intensive negotiations, the parties forged a coalition following inconclusive elections two months ago for the IHK assembly.Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the Muslim head of the PDP, was sworn in as the region’s chief minister, along with his cabinet whose members are split roughly equally between the two parties.

In a symbolic gesture, the 79-year-old Sayeed enthusiastically embraced Hindu nationalist Modi, who was on stage to witness the ceremony, held amid tight security in the region’s winter capital of Jammu.

“We want to make the alliance a turning point in history to win the hearts and minds of all people of the state,” Sayeed later told a press conference.Modi and Sayeed, whose parties are staunchly opposed on a range of critical issues in the region, last week finally agreed on a common agenda to jointly rule the IHK.

Unveiled on Sunday, the 16-page agenda says the government will maintain a constitutional provision which allows Kashmir to make its own laws and guarantees autonomy from New Delhi.The BJP has long been committed to its abolition, while the PDP is steadfastly in favour of keeping it.

The new government will also keep in place a draconian law that gives Indian forces sweeping search and shoot-on-sight powers in the IHK, which is seen by critics as a cover for rights abuses.

But Sayeed stressed that he would not hesitate to act against the military if abuses were committed, saying “I am the chief chairman of (a) unified command.”“It is in my direction they have to follow. I will make them accountable.”

He said his government would also attempt to hold talks with separatist leaders over the future of the IHK.The swearing-in ceremony comes after December elections that saw the BJP capture 25 seats mainly in the Hindu-dominated Jammu region, while the PDP took 28, mostly in the Kashmir Valley where Muslim separatist sentiment has traditionally been the strongest.

But both failed to secure a majority to the 87-seat assembly, forcing the negotiations.Both parties benefited at the polls from widespread discontent at the state’s then-ruling National Conference party, over its handling of floods that killed more than 200 people in Kashmir in September.

Analysts warned that the coming together of two ideologically different parties could fuel discontent among Hindus in Jammu as well as Muslims in the IHK.“A big challenge will be to shore up credibility among voters in both regions of the state,” said Siddiq Wahid, a columnist and historian.

“What direction the discontent will take will depends on whether civil rights, like holding peaceful protest marches, will again be curbed.”The PDP had pledged during the election campaign to halt the BJP’s growing influence after right-wing Modi swept to power at general polls in May.The new government also faces the tough challenge of rebuilding after the floods destroyed $16 billion worth of property and infrastructure.