Srinagar, 03 Nov (KNS): The Jammu & Kashmir National Conference Tuesday said neither late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed nor his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has made any contribution to the interests of Jammu and Kashmir, its popular movements, or its development.
This was stated by Jammu and Kashmir National Conference State Spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar while responding to the baseless allegations levelled against the National Conference by Mehbooba Mufti. Reminding her of the dark chapters of her party’s past, he said that late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed began his political career in the 1950s, and almost every major political move he made until his death in 2016 ran contrary to the interests of Jammu & Kashmir and its people.
"The entire political career of late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was marked by actions that ran contrary to the sentiments, aspirations and interests of the people of Kashmir. The PDP was founded in 1999 with the sole objective of weakening the demand for autonomy raised by the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference. Despite winning only 16 out of 87 Assembly constituencies in the 2002 elections, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was made Chief Minister as part of a sinister political design, the first condition of which was the merger of the Muslim Auqaf Trust into the Waqf Board. These are historical facts that cannot be denied through deception, false rhetoric or fabricated speeches," he said.
He said that from triggering communal Hindu-Muslim riots in South Kashmir in 1986 to bringing the BJP into the Jammu and Kashmir government in 2015 by effectively riding on its shoulders, the list of anti-Kashmir actions by the PDP and its founder was extensive.
He said it was Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who introduced the bill in Parliament in 1990 seeking the implementation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Jammu and Kashmir, following which the manner in which generations of Kashmiri youth suffered remains a painful chapter in the region's history. Orders such as ‘Shoot at sight’ and ‘Answer one bullet with a hundred bullets’ are also associated with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's political era, while the PDP's late patron also bears responsibility for the emergence of unmarked graveyards and unidentified graves in Kashmir.
The spokesperson said that the responsibility for the difficult situation Jammu and Kashmir finds itself in today also rests with the PDP. "The party sought votes in the 2014 elections on an anti-BJP platform but subsequently entered into an alliance with the same party, pushing Jammu and Kashmir towards political and institutional destruction and opening the doors of the Civil Secretariat to the RSS. What followed—the division of Jammu and Kashmir, the abrogation of its special status and its conversion into a Union Territory, thereby humiliating its people—constitutes one of the darkest chapters in the history of Jammu and Kashmir," he said.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Imran Nabi Dar said that after 2019, political parties in Jammu and Kashmir came together under the banner of the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) to jointly pursue the struggle for the restoration of the region's special status. "However, the PDP left no stone unturned in weakening and dismantling the alliance. The self-styled leader who represented the PDP at PAGD meetings was himself used to issue statements against the National Conference and its leadership. Similarly, after the party's sitting MLA, Waheed Para, secured bail from jail, he was assigned the task of undermining the alliance. Waheed Para was among the first persons in the country to secure bail under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Yet, after his release, he was provided a platform at the PDP Foundation Day function to launch attacks against the National Conference and the PAGD, while Mehbooba Mufti remained a silent spectator," Imran said.
The NC spokesperson said that the PDP remained in power for three and a half years after 2015, during which 237 civilians lost their lives under the government headed by Mehbooba Mufti. "More than 30,000 people were injured, around 3,500 suffered eye injuries, and 1,025 people lost vision in one or both eyes. A large number of those affected included women and children. During the same period, 31,000 people were arrested and more than 1,000 were booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA). To divert public attention from its administrative failures, the shocking incidents of braid-chopping targeting Kashmiri women and girls took place. The PDP government left no stone unturned in destroying the lives of young people and jeopardising their future."
He further said that the rights of the youth were also systematically trampled upon during the PDP's tenure. "Backdoor appointments were made, with relatives, close associates and favourites placed in influential positions, while the rights of deserving, qualified and talented candidates were denied. From the Khadi and Village Industries Board to the Sports Council, individuals associated with the PDP allegedly indulged in large-scale irregularities and continued the practice of illegal appointments."
Imran Nabi Dar demanded a high-level investigation into all the scandals that surfaced during the BJPDP regime, stating that accountability was essential to address the injustices inflicted upon the youth of Kashmir and ensure that they receive justice.(KNS)