Jammu,
“What should I tell you,” said Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti while opening the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) conference in Srinagar on Tuesday evening and then went on to tell it all. She reeled out the pain, anger, frustration and the suppressed hopes of the people of Kashmir who have been “left alone by the country”.

Mehbooba Mufti is not known for delivering structured speeches. The moment she told all those who had assembled at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre that “your presence here has imbued a new hope among the people of Kashmir”, she sent out the message to all countrymen that even a minuscule presence of theirs in Kashmir can bring positive vibes in the Valley. It was an emotional and passionate appeal to the countrymen.

“Bring your families and give us the opportunity to host you, and I assure you we are good people and serve our guests well.” Her words echoed the sentiments of the people of Kashmir who have been desperately looking for normalcy and peace and a connect with visitors coming from the rest of the country and abroad. “We need hand-holding, and you can do it,” she pleaded.

It was her appeal to shun the fortress mentality. In fact, if read between the lines, it applies to both people of the state and to that of the country. She pressed for intense measures for building a bridge from both ends. Her point was driven home when the audience applauded her emotional appeal to visit Kashmir, the paradise, quoting her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

She did not forget to tell that “guns versus guns” was no solution to any problem. The alternatives were available and there was a need to apply a “healing touch” through them. The healing touch was and remains the mantra of Mehbooba Mufti and her party, Peoples Democratic Party, but that cannot be done on its own. It needs the support of the Centre and, above all, the perceptive change in the mindset of the people of the rest of the country.

Mehbooba made it plain that there was a situation in Kashmir, but that situation had a few pockets which erupt at times. But the way those were played out on some of the channels appeared as if the whole of Kashmir was burning, instilling fear and infusing a wrong perception about Kashmir. “Your visit and the places you visit in the Valley will make it clear that such gunshots are not all over but in some isolated areas. Your visits and the word back home can help change this perception.”

Her words have to be understood against the backdrop of the fact that the tourism industry in particular has suffered in the past two years. The economy is in a shambles and the country has to take responsibility in rejuvenating the hopes in Kashmir.