Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 23: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti today criticised the Government, saying it has failed to meet public expectations despite receiving a strong electoral mandate.
Addressing a gathering in Baramulla district, in north Kashmir, Mufti described the present situation as “grim”, pointing to rising unemployment and increasing distress among both young people and older residents.
She also alleged interference in religious institutions and expressed concern over rising electricity tariffs. “The current situation in the region is grim,” she told supporters, adding that economic hardship was affecting large sections of society.
Mufti said the National Conference (NC) has failed to meet public expectations despite receiving a strong electoral mandate. She claimed that during its time in office, the PDP had implemented “ground-level initiatives” despite facing significant challenges, whereas the present administration had not achieved comparable progress.
She highlighted the opening of the cross-Line of Control trade route to Muzaffarabad, which she said was intended to boost economic activity and ease tensions. Mufti said the closure of the route had been a setback, “its continuation could have improved economic conditions, particularly for the fruit industry,” she said.
On tourism, she said destinations such as Pahalgam had faced closures, and urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to address broader regional concerns.
Highlighting her party’s record in Government, Mufti said that developments such as medical colleges and infrastructure projects had been delivered within a short period, something she claimed other administrations had taken decades to achieve.
Defending the PDP’s past alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), she said key regional interests had been protected and that there had been no compromise on power-related projects.
She also called for greater recognition of regional demands, including district status for Sopore and “hill district” status for Uri, which she described as a potential gateway to Kashmir. In addition, she appealed for a special package for the Sikh community and urged authorities to extend land lease benefits to labourers.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
