Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Jan 17: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) today said that much progress has been made on the Agenda of Alliance between PDP and Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) during Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as Chief Minister of the State and has authorized president, Mehbooba Mufti, to take a final call on Government formation in the State.
On Government formation, the PDP leader Naeem Akhtar told reporters that after 5-hours meeting of the Core group, the party authorized Mehbooba to take decision on it. “The core group has authorized party president Mehbooba to take whatever decision on it (Government formation).”
When asked about how much time the party will take for Government formation, the PDP leader said: “She (Mehbooba) will take her own call and own time. There is no time line. The focus is on agenda (Agenda of Alliance) which has been Mufti Sahib’s vision and we want to implement that vision and Mehbooba Mufti will take call how best to do it.”
Sources said that when Mehbooba Mufti was authorized to take final call on Government formation, she said: “I have no doubt on decision of Mufti Sahib. But I have to assess and see whether in the changed circumstances, I can get his vision implemented. I will take my time and take my call appropriately.”
Akhtar said that party feels that the Agenda of Alliance is a sacred document for the party and there has been much progress on that under Mufti Sahib. He said that there is no condition on part of PDP for Government formation.
“Agenda of Alliance is sacred document for us. There has been much progress on it during Mufti Sahib’s time. And for the future course, the party president Mehbooba Mufti has been authorized to take the final decision”, said the PDP leader.
Akhtar said the party leaders put forth their points of view at the meeting chaired by Mehbooba on how to carry forward the mission of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. “The most important point in the vision of Mufti Sahib was reconciliation between India and Pakistan,” he said.
The PDP leader said the party welcomed the Prime Minister’s Lahore visit last month and the maturity shown by the Centre in the wake of the Pathankot attack. “It was his (Mufti’s) belief that India-Pakistan friendship is necessary for Jammu and Kashmir as it has been a victim of hostilities between the two countries,” he said.
“The finest and last moment in Mufti Sahib’s life was when he was monitoring the situation from his death bed and saw the Prime Minister of our country visit Lahore,” Akhtar said.
The PDP leader said the PDP leaders were happy about the maturity shown by the country’s leadership in the wake of the Pathankot attack and its decision to continue talks and improve relations with Pakistan. “The people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, who have been the victims of this confrontation, are very happy with this decision. We must move forward on this path and that will be the biggest tribute to Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,” he added.
Akhtar said that today’s meeting was attended by Member Parliaments Muzaffar Hussain Beigh and Tariq Hamid Karra besides several other leaders of the party.
In a statement issued here by the PDP said that the party reiterated its resolve to rededicate itself towards realizing Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s vision of a politically stable and economically empowered Jammu and Kashmir. “The party authorized the party president, Mehbooba Mufti to take any decision needed to carry forward Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s mission and implementing his political and developmental vision”, the statement said.
“The PDP core group which met here today under the chairmanship of the party president, Ms Mehbooba Mufti while paying glowing tributes to the late leader resolved to work towards accomplishing Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s mission of reconciliation, peace and prosperity for the people of the State and the region,” PDP chief spokesperson, Dr Mehboob Beg said in a statement.
PDP leaders, Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, Tariq Hameed Karra, Abdul Rehman Veeri, Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, Mohammad Sartaj Madni, Javaid Mustafa Mir, Abdul Haq Khan, Syed Basharat Bukhari, Choudhary Zulfkar Ali, Abdul Gaffar Sofi, Peer Mohammad Hussain, Naeem Akhtar, Qazi Mohammad Afzal, Mohammad Dillawar Mir, Trilok Singh Bajwa, Ved Mahajan, Syed Altaf Bukhari, Dr Haseeb Drabu, Moulvi Imran Ansari, Nizam-ud-Din Bhat, Rafi Ahmad Mir, Peerzada Mansoor Hussain, Yashpal Sharma, Dr Mehboob Beg, Asghar Ali, Mehboob Iqbal, Prof Amitabh Matoo, Vikramadatiya Singh, Nazir Ahmad Laway, Fayaz Ahmad Mir, Inayat-ullah, Sajad Mufti, Raja Ajaz Ali, Nayeema Mehjoor, Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra and Tashee Gialson attended the meeting.
“The meeting expressed gratitude to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for endorsing PDP’s political and economic agenda set-out under the visionary leadership of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and helping the party to emerge as the premier regional force within a short span of 16 years”, the statement said.
“The meeting reiterated that PDP would work, with fresh resolve, towards accomplishing the vision of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to create a space of dignity, opportunity and prosperity for the people of Jammu & Kashmir in the paradigm of friendship and cooperative relationship between India and Pakistan. It was firm belief of Mufti Sahab that the resolution of the problems of Jammu and Kashmir is possible only in the paradigm of cordial ties between India and Pakistan with J&K becoming a hub of this cooperative relationship. He tirelessly worked towards realizing this objective and used to repeatedly reiterate the inevitability of maintaining peace along the borders and expanding the scope and sphere of cross-LoC movement of people and trade to free the people of the State from the mentality of siege. It was only because of the sustained efforts of Mufti Sahab that significant movement forward was witnessed on cross-LoC confidence building measures, both in 2002 and 2015, when he was at the helm of affairs in the State”, the statement said.
“The meeting observed that on the internal front Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was a strong votary of espousing the Constitutional methods of finding resolution to the political problem and the issues confronting Jammu and Kashmir and safeguarding the State’s distinct identity and the special status. “He used to address the political aspirations, economic needs and developmental deficit of the State from a position of authority and with confidence,” the meeting observed.
The meeting observed that both in 2002 and 2015, PDP’s power sharing arrangement either with Congress or with BJP took time and effort to materialize as Mufti Sahab wanted to ensure adequate safeguards for the State’s dignity and interests of its people. “He raised the bar for all political stake holders be it about accords, alliance or coalition politics by devising common minimum program in 2002 and Agenda of Alliance in 2015 which unlike in past were aimed at safeguarding the State interests”, the statement said.
The statement said: “Mufti Sahab would be also remembered long for not only introducing competitive democracy in Jammu and Kashmir but bringing in probity, accountability and delivery in governance as well and PDP would continue to uphold these ideals of the great leader. Mufti Sahab was striving towards accomplishing the unfinished agenda of securing dignified peace, durable stability and inclusive prosperity for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who have suffered countless miseries over the past six decades. He had in 2002 laid the foundations for achieving these objectives and was working tirelessly, despite his falling health, in his present tenure, to usher Jammu and Kashmir into an era of development, growth, stability and empowerment. Despite being in chair only for a very short duration of 10 months, Mufti Sahab, through his hard work and sincerity of purpose, ensured a perceptible turnaround on the ground in key sectors including road communication, education, health, rural development, horticulture, agriculture and power besides launching some pioneering welfare initiatives in social and skill development sectors.”
“Despite many constraints and inheriting a dysfunctional system, the Government headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed responded to and endeavored determinedly to mitigate the complex problems of J&K, faced as it is with decades long political uncertainty, development deficit, unfulfilled aspirations and mounting unemployment. While Mufti Sahab continued to work untiringly till his last day touring Srinagar city last month, even during his illness at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, he used to regularly inquire about the status of the issues pertaining to the development of the State. PDP leadership complimented the party cadres for effectively carrying the party’s pro-people agenda to the grassroots and working tirelessly towards implementation of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s political, economic and developmental vision for Jammu and Kashmir”, the statement said.
The statement said: “This meeting wholeheartedly and unanimously supported Mehbooba Mufti as its leader and expressed full confidence in her leadership qualities. The party authorized the president to take any decisions needed to carry forward Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s mission and implementing his political and developmental vision.”
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