Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti Monday appealed people of North Kashmir to give a final push to the movement for change set into motion by the people in south and central Kashmir.“As the people were yearning for ‘Azadi’ from the devious politics of the National Conference, they used the democratic means to bring about the change in south and Central Kashmir,” Mehbooba said while addressing various roadside meetings at Kupwara on the last leg of her campaign for the Baramulla parliamentary constituency. According to a statement issued on this occasion Fayaz Ahmad Mir, Mohammad Afzal Wani, Deen Mohammad Cheetah, Choudhry Salamudin, Choudhry Sirajudin , youth leader Tahir Sayeed, Mehrajudin Shah, Mohammad Maqbool Dar, Fayaz Ahmad Wani, Reyaz Ahmad Peer, Mohammad Afzal, Khurshid Ahmad, Fayaz Ahmad and others were also present.Urging people of North Kashmir to vote and support, PDP candidate Muzaffar Hussain Baig, Mehbooba said Baig has achieved a distinction for himself both in the public and professional life as a politician and lawyer and it is only because of his sheer talent, determination and maturity of thought he has proved to be an asset for the state of which we all should be proud of. She said his achievements and contribution for the welfare of the state has been exemplary and his win is important, not only for the PDP but for the entire society, to make the nation understand about the sensibilities of the people and prevailing ground realities in Kashmir.
Mehbooba said Baig has contributed immensely to the state as deputy chief minister by holding charge of Finance, Planning and Tourism ministries and it is also because of experience and discipline he brought in these important ministries J&K could see a robust growth during PDP-led coalition government. She said he, as an authoritative representative of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, along with the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, is the architect of the Common Minimum Programme between PDP and Congress in 2002 which paved a way for streamlining the things in the state.The PDP chief said Baig has a role in determining the objectives of PDP as a party that would strive for safeguarding the rights and interests of the state and make a difference in lives of ordinary man whose voices have always been got trampled under the devastating politics played by the National Conference over the last many decades.
She said it is a high time he goes to the parliament at a time when the PDP has laid out a roadmap for engaging the public opinion in-and-outside of the parliament throughout the country for taking the state out of the difficulties and its immense problems that has accumulated as a result of insecurity, uncertainty and economic backwardness of last nearly seven decades. “PDP is going to the national level not for power but to make the country clear that people of J&K would no longer take injustices and denial of rights,” she said and added that we will make serious and sincere efforts to set a new institutionalized Kashmir policy at the national level to get it out the present quagmire and mess.
She said the NC, which has always won elections from J&K, has never represented us in an honest and true sense at the national level. “They have always used votes that people cast for them as bargaining chip for getting luxuries of power to Abdullah family no matter who is elected as MP and MLA,” Mehbooba said adding it is always the members of the ‘first family’ of NC that have benefited out of it as ministers in the Central government and in the state as chief ministers.Making a fervent appeal to the North Kashmir electorate Mehbooba said this is an occasion that people must utilize and rise above their ideological and traditional likings, like people of Anantnag and Srinagar parliamentary constituencies, and give a wholehearted support to PDP and elect Baig to the parliament.