JK needs political, economic transformation for sustainable growth: Drabu

KL Report

PULWAMA

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Dr Haseeb Drabu has said that Jammu and Kashmir needs more than ever before not just change of governance but political, economic and social transformation to usher into an era of durable peace and inclusive prosperity.

According to a statement addressing a series of public gatherings during his mass contact programme in various remote areas of Rajpora constituency, wherefrom he is seeking maiden mandate for the Legislative Assembly, Drabu said the people of the State in general and the youth in particular are looking up towards PDP with great hope and expectations to put up a responsive political structure, productive economic setup and supportive social fabric.  “Our endeavour would be to respond to and mitigate the complex problems of the state, faced as it is with decades long political uncertainty, development deficit, unfulfilled aspirations, mounting unemployment, corruption, nepotism and favouritism,” he said and added that if the party gets the people’s mandate in the upcoming Assembly polls, it would strive towards accomplishing the unfinished agenda of resolution and development set off by the PDP-led coalition government in 2002.

Dispelling the notion that J&K was a financially dependent state, Drabu said there are no limits to the State’s economic potential and in addition to its rich water and mineral resources, the brand name Kashmir has many dimensions – be it tourism, art, handicrafts, forests or agricultural and horticultural products. He said PDP’s vision of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Jammu & Kashmir outlined in its Self-Rule document is essentially about neutralizing the historical political and economic excesses with the State that were compounded by its natural and political geography.

“To tap the massive economic potential of the state, the only thing to be done is to devise and start implementing focused politico-economic strategies, which only a responsive and responsible government can do,” Drabu said and added that one of the major challenges in J&K today is connectivity – the lack of it and need for it. “We have to connect to the larger world outside through physical connectivity, economic connectivity and knowledge connectivity to explore the full potential of our enterprising young population,” he said.

Drabu said if the people of Rajpora constituency give him a chance to serve them, he would ensure that while it comes up as a model constituency, the twin districts of Pulwama and Shopian would be transformed as hubs of economic activity involving new strides in infrastructure development in education, health, power and social sectors and sustained advancement in horticulture and tourism sectors.

During his day-long tour Drabu visited Abhama, Bamnu, Chak Badrinath and other areas of Rajpora constituency. People in large numbers, especially the youth, greeted him with enthusiasm as according to them it was for the first time during the past 60 years that Pulwama has got a political leader of such stature.