Starts election campaigning in South Kashmir
Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Apr 16: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today started her election campaign in South Kashmir, urging people to vote in large numbers and give voice to the voiceless.
Addressing a gathering at the conclusion of the roadshow, which was taken out from the main town of Pulwama to Wachi in Shopian, Mufti stated that the votes cast in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections-2024 would give voice to the people of J&K who have been facing hardships since 2019.
“We do not have to send our representatives to Parliament for issues such as roads or electricity; we have to send them to highlight what people have been facing since 2019, give them a voice. I don’t know if there will be any election after this; this election will give voice to the innocent and those who are suffering,” she said.
The PDP President, who is contesting the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency set to go for polls on May 7, stated that she had never aspired to become the Chief Minister or Member of Parliament, “but if we do not speak even today, then we will not be left with anything. I hope that you will come out in huge numbers during the election this time.”
Accompanied by PDP leader Waheed Parra, who is contesting from the Central Kashmir constituency in the Lok Sabha elections, Mufti noted that there were times when the situation was bad, and they used to reassure people that things would improve. However, in 2019, she said, the situation deteriorated again.
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“There were Task Force, Ikhwan, and POTA. Mufti Sayeed and I used to tell you that even this won’t sustain. We used to tell you that there will be a new era; that new era came, but unfortunately, in 2019, the situation deteriorated again,” she said.
Mufti emphasized that whatever J&K had earned in the last 70 years, including self-respect and identity, “was destroyed”, alleging that land, jobs, and assets were being snatched.
“People are facing hardships; youngsters are arrested, thousands are in various jails across the country; their families cannot afford to visit them. There have been frauds in recruitments; electricity meters have been installed, and people are being made to pay huge dues without power supply,” she said.
She added that claims are being made in Delhi that the situation in Kashmir is good, “but here, people are not being allowed to speak. They have turned Kashmir into a jail.”
“If we have been pushed into a river, making efforts to destroy our identity, we won’t stay silent; we will make efforts to save ourselves. We will come out of this. We have to raise our voices.”
Mufti further alleged that with the start of the election process, rampant arrests have begun. “In Shopian, a non-local driver was killed, which is unfortunate, and that does not mean that dozens of youth would be arrested and slapped with PSAs. It is happening across Kashmir.”
“The people of Pulwama, Shopian district, I hope they will ensure the victory of the voice which is projecting what the people of Kashmir are facing.”
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