Attempts being made to repeat 1987 like situation : Mehbooba Mufti

Srinagar, May 16: PDP President Mehbooba Mufti today alleged that attempts are being made to repeat the 1987 like situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to a press release, she was addressing election rallies in Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency. PDP President highlighted the political maturity and foresight of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, despite their emotional nature. She drew parallels with the 1987 elections, where rigging altered the region's trajectory, leading to bloodshed and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) distancing itself from elections. "No doubt, the people of Jammu and Kashmir are emotional in some ways, but at the same time, they are politically very mature and far-sighted. Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) was also contesting elections earlier, and if there had been no rigging in the 1987 polls, the situation in Kashmir would have been different. There would have been no bloodshed and mayhem, and JeI would not have distanced itself from elections. Even today, we see people being coerced ahead of elections. They are threatened by a situation reminiscent of 1987," Mehbooba said.

PDP President also criticised the government's dual approach, noting that while JeI shows readiness to engage in the electoral process, government machinery employs tactics reminiscent of 1987 to suppress legitimate voices. She stressed that today's youth are voting to express their sufferings, warning that rigging these elections could lead to disastrous outcomes. "The head of the administrative affairs in Jammu and Kashmir has summoned officers of a particular community, warning them of dire consequences if they do not support BJP's proxy candidates in Kashmir. I fear a 1987-like situation is being repeated. On one hand, the JeI is expressing its readiness to take part in the electoral process, and on the other hand, the government machinery is using the same old tactics it used to muzzle the just voices in 1987. Youth today are coming out to vote to give voice to their sufferings, and if you betray that voice and rig elections, it is going to prove disastrous," she said.

Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of the function, the PDP President questioned NC Vice President Omar Abdullah's statement on offering unconditional support to the PDP after the 2014 elections. She pointed to NC's current actions as evidence of their betrayal.