Ending over a week’s suspense, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) finally decided on Tuesday to participate in the seven-phase Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) assembly polls
Says it wants to ‘facilitate the resolution of the Kashmir issue’
SRINAGAR: Will it, will it not. Yes, it will. Ending over a week’s suspense, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) finally decided on Tuesday to participate in the seven-phase Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) assembly polls beginning November 17 to “facilitate the resolution of the Kashmir issue”.
President Mehbooba Mufti said it was a hard decision since the situation in the Valley was still not conducive to polls. She also released the party manifesto and announced that it would not forge a pre-poll alliance.
“It was a challenge for us and we decided to accept it. We want to break the hegemony of the National Conference (NC), which, along with babus, is trying to create a winning impression since it has been promised reward for its follies by New Delhi. The NC took an anti-Muslim stand and aligned with communal forces in Jammu to promote the Amarnath land deal and now, it wants some sort of compensation,” she said.
Mehbooba said the rumours of the NC winning had raised suspicion after the prime minister promised free and fair polls in Jammu and Kashmir. “Some parties want to cash in on the boycott threat (by separatists) to clinch power. Let me clarify, Delhi has not decided anything. It is the people who shall have the right to decide,” she said.
The PDP chief said there was a growing sense of insecurity in Kashmir after the spate of arrests and use of force against the youth.
“It seems like 1996 when the special operations group of police and counter insurgents were unleashing a reign of terror. We can’t remain a mute spectator and will go to the people telling them to compare Mufti Sayeed’s three-year rule before voting,” she said.
Mehbooba also hit out at the NC for trying to separate elections from resolution of the Kashmir issue. “We are not contesting municipality elections where we talk of
development,” she said.
The PDP manifesto promotes soft-separatism. The party has carefully separated development issues and Kashmir resolution to woo back voters. “The PDP does not see these elections as an opportunity to govern but as a responsibility to prevent further disenfranchisement among the people of J&K. By taking it as a responsibility, we will be able to create opportunities for dialogue, debate and do what the people of J&K want,” the manifesto says.
The PDP also talks of self-rule, dual currency, demilitarisation, non-application of IAS and IPS and joint legislature with the hope of harvesting political capital.
The party has also raised the controversial issue of rehabilitating families of slain militants.
h_ishfaq@dnaindia.net
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