Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and Peoples Democratic Party President, Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday organized a first-ever party workers convention post abrogation of the special status (Article 370), in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
Mehbooba in her address to workers at Town Hall Kupwara reiterate her demand for restoration of the decision taken on 5 August 2019 and sought support of people in pursuing her demand.
She said the Jammu and Kashmir was an independent state before the existence of India and acceded to India rejecting Pakistan in 1947 despite being a Muslim dominated region on certain terms and conditions that included land and job protection and a separate flag and Constitution in addition to India’s.
The situations worsen with the passage of time that led to the creation of JKPDP with the aim to bail out the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “Mufti sahib was Home Minister of India; he left Indian National Congress and formed JKPDP with likeminded people to give protection to the people of J&K who were caught in the trouble due to the terrorized situation in Kashmir. He left his luxurious life to stand by his people,” said Mehbooba.
She further said that it was JKPDP government led by its founder late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed that made the then Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee to talk to the govt. of Pakistan for resolution of ‘Kashmir issue’ and cross border trade and transport with Pakistan.
We always want to see peaceful Kashmir, said Mehbooba. Adding that, “The process for the resolution of Kashmir issue got momentum with our efforts in which several leaders of India got involved in talks with different stakeholders. Lal Krishan Advani talked to Yasin Malik but that couldn’t be carried forward by the successor Chief Minister”.
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She advised her party workers that they don’t need to be afraid as the situation of Jammu and Kashmir will not remain as it is.
While hinting towards central government she said that they are hell-bent to break her party as they know that she was not going to bow down and concede with their ‘anti-Kashmir policies’.
“Our fight is not with the people of India but we have grudge with them as they didn’t stand with we Kashmiris when we were locked in our houses incessantly for months and our constitutional rights were snatched. It gave courage to the central government to play with the sentiment and constitutional rights of people, an example of which is evident from the protesting farmers who have been protesting for months for their rights,” Mufti said.
Mehbooba in her address said that she has not lost hope after some of her colleagues left JKPDP and said that her strength is her people who always stand with her.
Mehbooba later met several delegations from different parts of Kupwara and held deliberations with them regarding different issues pertaining to Jammu Kashmir especially Kupwara.
However, former Minister of Mehbooba Mufti cabinet, Abdul Haq Khan and recently retired Rajya Sabha Member of JKPDP Mir Mohammad Fayaz didn’t attend the convention.
Newly nominated District President Mohd Afzal Wani who succeeded Mir Mohammad Fayaz, he was unprecedently removed from the post some months ago said that they were intimated by party higher-ups not to invite them but were told that they would invite them themselves. He didn’t keep further information about the issue
Sources told Good Morning Kashmir that Khan and Mir are mulling to join some other political parties. It was also reported that a delegation that met Mufti at DAK Bungalow Kupwara had discussed the absence of Mir Mohammad Fayaz in the convention and had asked her to allow them to mediate the fractured relation of Mir with the party if any but Mufti has denied.
In reply to a question about the survival of Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Allaince, Mufti said that it will survive as long as people of Jammu and Kashmir want it to be.
The convention was attended by several senior leaders of the party including Adv. Khursheed Iqbal Shah , Gh Nabi Pandithpori, Irfan sofi, Spokesperson JKPDP Tahir Sayeed and Suhail Bukhari, Mohd Ashraf and other dignitaries of Kupwara
