Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said people of the valley have to fight the life of fear and the situation held "hostage by some forces", and make efforts for establishing a prosperous state

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said people of the valley have to fight the life of fear and the situation held "hostage by some forces", and make efforts for establishing a prosperous state. She was speaking to reporters after paying floral tributes to the martyrs of 1931 at the Martyrs' Graveyard in downtown locality of the summer capital. "We have to fight this life of fear, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, which has been held hostage by some people. We have to make efforts towards establishing a prosperous state for which these martyrs gave their lives," Mehbooba said. She said the people of the state should remember the sacrifices of the martyrs who gave up their lives for establishing a democracy and a prosperous state where Kashmiriyat is the basic principle. The chief minister said the way people of the valley stood together in condemning the attack on Amarnath pilgrims gave a message to entire world that Kashmiriyat was alive. "The way people with different viewpoints stood together and condemned the attack gave a message once again to the world that Kashmir's Kashmiriyat is alive and people will not tolerate anything which is against Kashmiriyat," she said. Mehbooba was joined by her Cabinet colleagues and senior party leaders in laying floral wreaths on the graves of the 21 people who were killed in firing by the Dogra army on this day in 1931. However, no one from the BJP, the coalition partner in the state government, was present there. PTI