Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 23: President of the People’s Democratic Party, Mehbooba Mufti, today said that the hardships faced by Kashmir are a consequence of the decades-long surrenders of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference to New Delhi’s authority in order to retain power.
Mufti made these remarks during an election rally in Anantnag, where she was campaigning for the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency, set to go to polls on May 25th.
She stressed that the current predicament in Kashmir stems from the historical actions of the National Conference. Mufti emphasized that since 1931, all decisions and agreements concerning Jammu and Kashmir have been orchestrated by the National Conference, which she refrained from labelling as agreements but rather as surrenders.
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“In their quest for power, they initially acquiesced to India, deeming it advantageous. However, upon losing power, they advocated for a plebiscite. The 1975 accord with Indira Gandhi was solely aimed at regaining power, leaving those imprisoned for 22 years with nothing. Subsequent agreements, including one with Congress, led to regrettable consequences such as the execution of Maqbool Bhat and the facilitation of the 1987 rigging,” she stated.
Recalling the alliance with Congress in 2002, Mufti highlighted the repeal of POTA and task forces, and the initiation of discussions on resolving the Jammu and Kashmir issue. She underscored the disparity between the PDP’s approach and that of the National Conference, emphasizing their engagement with the central government for talks on Kashmir, dialogue with Pakistan, and internal discussions within Jammu and Kashmir.
“Despite seventy years in power, did the National Conference ever assert any demands from New Delhi? Instead, they surrendered everything,” she questioned.
Mufti contrasted the PDP’s transparent dealings with the secret meetings of the National Conference with BJP members. “Unlike them, we spent around three months crafting an agenda for the alliance. However, has Omar Abdullah’s party, with its sixty MLAs, fulfilled a single item from it?” she queried.
Regarding her tenure during the BJP government, she noted: “Mehbooba Mufti quashed 12,000 FIRs against youth and endured ceasefire violations. Senior BJP leaders, including Arun Jaitley, attempted to engage with the Hurriyat Conference, but to no avail.”
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