No jail can imprison an idea: Mufti

Srinagar, July 12: Opposition Peoples Democratic Party Patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed Tuesday accused the present coalition government of ‘maligning’ the name of Indian democracy and constitutional system by depriving peaceful and respectable citizens, their liberty and fundamental rights. “This government has lowered the prestige of country’s judicial system and constitutional scheme by muzzling the voice of dissent and putting in jail people like 85 year old Ashraf Sehrai and teen agers should have been in schools and colleges,” he told a public meeting at Kupwara in north Kashmir today. Mufti said denial of rights was not new to the state. “It has experienced turbulent and dark times in the past, but the elections in 2002 had changed the fundamentals of our politics and course of struggle for rights.”The former home minister of India said that the forces of peace and reconciliation encouraged after 2002 had helped in starting a peace process that could have led to its logical conclusion; the peaceful resolution of Kashmir problem. “Had the PDP- Congress coalition continued the history of the state would have been different even though I believe that the destiny of Jammu & Kashmir is bound to change anyways for better,” he said.Mufti said it was a blot on the country’s name that hundreds of people continue to be behind bars for the mere use of their right to express a dissenting view. “Democracy is a battle of ideas and no jail is strong enough to imprison an idea.”He said many ideas about the state, its problems and resolution have been articulated from time to time which has resulted in uncertainity and miseries for people. But the zero sum game can be ended only by meeting an idea with a more creative idea which is in tune with the spirit and reality of our times. He said the formulation of self rule is an effort in that direction. “It is my life’s ambition and belief that J&K will come out of its cycle of destruction and uncertainty sooner than later,” he said.