Jammu- PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday said the people, irrespective of their religion and region, have to move together and raise a united voice to seek redressal of their issues.
The former chief minister is currently on a week-long tour of Poonch and Rajouri districts to garner public support and addressed a road show in Poonch town despite pouring rain.
The border districts of Poonch and Rajouri are part of the Anantnag parliamentary constituency which is going to polls in the third phase on May 7 to decide the fate of 21 candidates, including Peoples Democratic Party Mehbooba and National Conference leader and former minister Mian Altaf.
Mehbooba reached Bufliaz in Poonch via Mughal road – an alternate link connecting the border districts in the Jammu region with south Kashmir’s Shopian district on April 25.
She held roadshows in Surankote and Mendhar before moving to Poonch city this morning.
“I am thankful for the warm welcome by all sections of the society including Paharis, Gujjars, Hindus and Muslims. I am the one who is uniting people and not dividing them. We all have to move together for redressal of our problems,” she said as rain forced her to cut short the address.
She said everyone is affected in case there is an issue while in times of ease, everyone gets benefited.
“This election is not for roads and electricity, there are problems like unemployment that need to be raised besides other issues, which we are facing post-2019 development,” Mehbooba said referring to the centre’s move to abrogate Article 370 and bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories.
Seeking the support of the voters, the PDP leader said she is aware of the demands of the people of Poonch which include a medical college, extension of the rail link and completion of the under-construction Parnai hydro-electric project.
“I am not the chief minister to immediately accept your demand but I am not going to make any false promise. I have to face you again and in case I am elected to the parliament, I will raise your issues and will utilise the MP local area development fund to address your minor issues,” she said.
Fighting for People’s Voice, Not Against NC: Parra
In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections in Jammu & Kashmir, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Youth President and candidate from Srinagar-Pulwama parliamentary constituency, Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra on Saturday said, “We are not fighting against the NC, but for the people’s voice.”
He criticized the NC, saying that even with three MPs, they failed to raise the concerns of Kashmiris in the past five years in the Parliament of India.
Parra addressed numerous public meetings in various areas of Pulwama and Shopian districts.
“Only Mehbooba Mufti is standing firm and raising people’s issues from Kashmir to Delhi, which led to the splintering of the PDP, with 40 main leaders being forced to leave due to our party president’s clear stance,” he said.
He said that his campaign isn’t about winning votes; but about igniting healing and dismantling suffocation.
“When a son suffers in prison, a mother’s heart shatters. Our unwavering pledge: to bring them home and offer amnesty for youngsters to start anew. We are here to address the youth of Kashmir. We are here to address the population of Kashmir who are suffering, who are in tremendous trauma, who need healing and compassion.”
“We are here to revive the idea of PDP’s healing touch so that they feel a sense of belonging and they are stakeholders of the whole process, feeling a part of it. Mehbooba Mufti’s contribution to Kashmir politics is about compassion and healing,” Parra added.
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