by Yawar Hussain
SRINAGAR: Reacting to Peoples Conference exiting the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), Justice (Retd) Hasnain Masoodi, who is Coordinator of the alliance, said that they respect Sajad Lone’s decision but he never approached the alliance leadership with any issue.
“Only yesterday in Handwara he (Sajad Lone) had said that there was no difference within PAGD. He would better know what changed,” Masoodi said.
He said that PAGD was under pressure from all sides which was evident during the DDC elections when the alliance candidates were put through all inconveniences.
“We accommodated for every party. We gave away a whole constituency to the PC,” he said, adding that the cause of PAGD is of prime importance.
He said this movement is the most important one in Jammu and Kashmir’s modern history since 1947.
“The PAGD would continue to fight for its cause. The DDC elections were not important and PC had 80 per cent strike-rate in these polls because the constituent parties’ people voted for them,” he said.
The rumblings with PAGD had been going on since the declaration of the results of the District Development Council elections with National Conference leader Syed Basharat Bukhari kickstarting the issue of PAGD’s failure to come up with a concrete roadmap for the restoration of pre-August 5 position of Jammu and Kashmir.
Following this, Peoples Conference leaders Abdula Gani Vakil and Imran Reza Ansari had written letters to party chairman Sajad Lone questioning the “sincerity” and “unity” leading to the party’s decision to quit the alliance.
PC had won eight seats in the recently conducted DDC elections on PAGD mandate with five seats in Kupwara district and three in neighbouring Baramulla district.
The party also had put up proxy candidates against the official PAGD candidates at many places.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party leaders Abdul Rehman Veeri and Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura said they have no comments to offer on this development.
