Giving voice to sufferings of J&K people in parliament top priority: Mehbooba Mufti

Srinagar, Apr 19: PDP President Mehbooba Mufti today said that giving voice to the “pain and sufferings of the people of Jammu and Kashmir” in the Parliament is the topmost priority of her party.

She was addressing a press conference here after releasing the election manifesto of the PDP. Mehbooba also listed welfare measures for the people her party candidates will take if elected to the Lok Sabha.

The PDP President also blamed the National Conference (NC) for the almost direct contest between its candidates and that of her party particularly in the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency. She  said such type of electoral confrontation between the two parties, who had contested the 2020 district development council polls together, was avoidable . “ Such a situation  would not have arisen if NC had taken PDP into confidence. They should not have publically stated that PDP is finished and NC will  field candidates in all constituencies,”she said.

Mehbooba said  that PDP’s election manifesto revolves around the priority and importance that the voice of the people of Jammu and Kashmir has to reach the Parliament and has to be raised very effectively there. “While all parties will talk about the bijli, pani and other issues, PDP would particularly talk about how J&K has been converted into an open prison, how we are being disempowered day by day and how efforts are being made to make us feel defeated,” she said.

The PDP President stated  that she and her party have been raising the voice against what is happening in Jammu and Kashmir since August 5, 2019. “My party has paid a heavy price for that. Our party was broken, our leaders taken away and workers victimised. I was victimised, my mother and brother were also victimised,” she said.

The PDP President said that despite all this she kept on raising her voice and that  “ now it is our duty to raise the voice in the parliament.” Mehbooba stated that the election manifesto emphasises on highlighting what has been happening since August 5, 2019. “There has been an unending onslaught on our collective identity, lands, jobs, resources and infringement upon the very freedom to speak. A series of decisions taken on a daily basis thousands of kilometres away in Delhi serve only to disempower and dispossess us,” she alleged.

The PDP President alleged that J&K natural resources are being gifted to outside capitalists at throwaway prices. “Be it water, power, lithium or other resources these resources need safeguards. Contracts of development works must go to J&K people. There should be an end to the scams in recruitment processes,” she said. Mehbooba stated that the tribal communities must not be evicted from their land.” “Horticulture, which is the backbone of Kashmir economy rather than going forward is being made to suffer losses due to various measures. Traders, already facing losses, are being raided. Victimisation of people based on mere suspicion must end,” she said.

The PDP President added that she would try to ensure that Mughal Road gets the tunnel at the earliest to make it an all-weather road.” With delimitation, they connected Rajouri and Poonch districts with the Anantnag constituency without thinking that Mughal Road gets closed in winter. My priority is to get a tunnel for Mughal Road. I had raised this issue earlier also. Some headway was made. There is a need for more tunnel in some other hilly areas also for road connectivity,” she said.

To a question that NC and PDP are fighting against each other in Lok Sabha polls, Mehbooba said,” This should not have happened. PDP never wanted this scenario but NC is fully responsible for whatever happened. I had authorised Dr Farooq Abdullah Sahab to take a call on it. If he had to take this decision, at least he should have asked me once. He should have told me Mehbooba that you should not contest, we will contest and that NC can present the voice of people in a better way. Then this situation would not have arisen. Contrary to it they said PDP is finished. This hurt and demoralised PDP workers. We were left with no option but to also announce that we too will contest and that PDP does exist and can contest.”