SRINAGAR: PDP founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed put forth a precondition before Prime Minister Narendra Modi for government formation in Jammu and Kashmir in 2015, seeking an assurance that Article 370 of the Constitution would not be removed by the Centre, claimed party president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday.
Addressing a gathering to commemorate People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s 24th Foundation Day, Mufti stated that her father, Sayeed, was not power-hungry but aimed to resolve Jammu and Kashmir’s problems and troubles.
“When Mufti sahib had 28 seats (in the 2014 Assembly polls), he met Modi and presented his conditions for government formation. He obtained an assurance from the BJP government (at the Centre) that Article 370 would not be tampered with. He held them to their word. He was not after power; otherwise, he would not have taken three months to form the coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir,” Mehbooba said.
Mufti alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reneged on its commitments and accused it of trying to oppress the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The BJP wants us to give up. We will not do it… If all of us- Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Gujjars, Paharis- stand united, we will make the BJP give up,” Mufti, the only woman to become the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, asserted her father’s courage to stand for the people.
“Despite having only 16 MLAs (in the 2002 Assembly polls), Mufti sahib told the Congress (which had 20 seats) that he would form the government only if talks were held with Pakistan and separatists,” she added.
Mufti emphasised that her father did not believe in misleading people and firmly believed that Jammu and Kashmir’s future was with India. She mentioned significant progress made during her father’s first term as chief minister, such as the Advani-Hurriyat talks and the reopening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road, which boosted development work.
Mufti questioned BJP’s achievements in Kashmir after doing away with the special constitutional provisions. She criticized the party for not reserving seats for Sikhs and questioned the provision for nominating Kashmiri migrants to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly instead.
She asserted that the PDP is not the problem but the solution to the issue, emphasising their desire for a solution within the democratic framework.
Mufti urged the party cadre to prepare for the upcoming Panchayat and local bodies’ elections later in the year.
Earlier, speaking to the gathering, the party’s Youth leader Waheed Para criticized the National Conference (NC) for past actions, rigging, and pushing youth towards violence. He highlighted PDP’s efforts to end certain practices and stated that their differences with BJP were related to the Agenda of Alliance, aiming for dialogue and implementation of PM’s working group recommendations.
He further added that PDP’s goal was to end shutdowns, hartals, and the gun culture through peaceful democratic means, but some elements undermined their efforts, leading the government to use force to achieve peace.
