Srinagar- Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti in a scathing attack against the ruling National Conference (NC) on Saturday accused the party of lacking courage to pursue Kashmir’s cause before the Union Dispensation and taken back the snatched rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Mehbooba during a press interaction in Srinagar after chairing a crucial party meeting said that despite having 50 members at the legislative assembly and three members of parliament, NC is doing least in what she termed “restoration of lost rights” of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“I don’t know what commitments they [NC] were given in this regard. Commitments were made even back then when Farooq Sahib, Omar Sahib, and Hasnain Masoodi Sahib met with the Prime Minister in August 2019, a day before the abrogation of Article 370. They were assured that nothing would be done to alter it. Omar Sahib and Farooq Sahib told people that the Prime Minister had assured them that Article 370 would remain intact. However, the way Article 370 was abrogated afterward exposed the hollowness of those assurances.”
Mehbooba accused the NC of lacking the courage to fight for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s rights. “Even today, with 50 seats and three Members of Parliament, they lack the courage to take back the snatched rights of the people. What can I do? We only had 16 seats when the BJP was in power in Delhi, but we still followed our own agenda. Later, when we had 28 seats, we continued to push our agenda, even in alliance with the BJP. Today, despite having 50 seats, what have they [NC] done?” she asked.
The PDP on Saturday resolved to “reinvigorate its struggle” for peace with dignity for Jammu and Kashmir, using all democratic and constitutional methods for resolving the “Kashmir issue”, including the restoration of the erstwhile state’s special status.
The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) passed a resolution in this connection during its general council meeting chaired by party supremo Mehbooba Mufti.
The party also reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to its foundational principles.
“We resolve to reinvigorate our struggle for peace with dignity for the state of Jammu and Kashmir, using all democratic and constitutional methods to resolve the Kashmir issue, including the restoration of the special status that was enjoyed by our people until August 5, 2019, under the Constitution of India,” the PDP said in the resolution.
The party also expressed “deep concern over the increasing climate of hatred against Muslims in India” and implored Prime Minister Narendra Modi to leverage his influence to curb violence, dispel false narratives and halt the “targeting of Muslims through what we perceive as judicial overreach”.
“We reaffirm our belief in India as a nation that celebrates diversity, mutual respect, and the protection of individual rights and beliefs,” the PDP said in the resolution.
The general council also called for the release of political prisoners.
“The meeting demands an immediate process to review the status of political prisoners held in various jails across India. We call for the release of all individuals detained on weak or non-existent charges and advocate for transferring prisoners to Jammu and Kashmir,” the PDP said.
On the party’s performance in the recent assembly elections, the general council acknowledged that while it did not meet expectations, “we are confident that the elected representatives can effectively articulate the concerns, aspirations and opinions of the people”.
“PDP urges the Union government and the broader Indian populace about the issues of disempowerment, deprivation and humiliation resulting from the unconstitutional revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional rights, Article 370,” it said.
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