Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday sought people's support in pulling the state out of the vortex of violence and bloodshed, saying her heart is overwhelmed with great sadness and sorrow as a result of the killings in the Valley.
"The 27-year-long violence has left deep wounds in almost each home here and we have to jointly safeguard our state and our people from further bloodshed and destruction.
"While my government's immediate priority would be to reach out to the affected families with a healing touch, in the long run a concerted effort shall have to be launched to make peace and stability a reality in Jammu and Kashmir, with youth being the focus of the government's welfare initiatives," she said in Srinagar.
The Chief Minister was speaking after paying homage to the martyrs of 1931 at the Martyrs graveyard in Khawaja Bazar area of downtown city in Srinagar.
Mehbooba said she needs people's support in realising the dream of a politically emancipated, economically self-reliant and socially secure Jammu and Kashmir.
"I seek people's support in pulling Jammu and Kashmir out of the vortex of violence and bloodshed. My heart is overwhelmed with great sadness and sorrow as a result of the killings in the latest spate of violence in Kashmir," she said, adding, "I won't let the people down, despite facing a challenging task."
Paying tributes to the 1931 martyrs, the Chief Minister said these valiant men scripted a new dawn in the state's history by laying the edifice for democracy and human dignity.
July 13, 1931 will always be remembered as a defining moment in the history of Jammu and Kashmir when the foundation for democracy and people's rule was laid in the state, she said.
"Each period of the state's history has had its special challenges and those confronting us today are as demanding as any in the past," she said.
Talking to media persons, the Chief Minister said the biggest tribute to these martyrs would be to protect Jammu and Kashmir's dignity and democracy which became a reality in the state because of their huge sacrifice.
The real homage one can pay to these martyrs is to protect and safeguard what these valiant men achieved for Jammu and Kashmir by sacrificing their precious lives, Mehbooba said.
The sacrifices of the martyrs laid the foundation for democracy and people's rule in the state and their struggle against autocratic rule resulted in the people becoming the fountainhead of power, she said.
She appealed the people not to fall prey to the machinations of those elements who want to disturb peace in the state.
"I appeal to the people to protect the sacrifices rendered by them (the martyrs) to pave way for peace. We should not play with that peace."
"I think the biggest tribute to them would be to protect that peace and not fall prey to the machinations of those elements who want to disturb peace here," she said.
The Chief Minister was accompanied by some of her Cabinet colleagues, legislators, party functionaries and top officers of the civil and police administration.
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