The senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and former deputy chief minister, Muzzafar Hussain Baig Sunday said National Conference was always interested in power for Abdullah family and they took votes to strike deals in Delhi for ministerial births and in return sacrificed everything this state had.
Addressing party workers at Sopore, Baig, in his inimitable style, said NC had advocated a unique single point solution to the external and internal dimensions of Kashmir issue. Dr Farooq Abdulah, he recalled, had advocated bombing of Pakistan to solve the external dimension; internally he ordered his then Director General of Police to ‘take no prisoners’ but instead shoot the young people as ‘there was no space in his jails.’ The entire Kashmir was converted into a prison with all kinds of repressive forces let loose on people and in the process created number of regular and irregular outfits like Task Force, SOG, Ikhwanis and the ‘unidentified gunmen’.Baig said now the Plough, NC symbol, has been taken in its Hand, Congress symbol, in this election. The former deputy chief minister said this elections marks shrinking of NC as it has conceded Jammu, Ladakah regions completely to Congress and they still claim to be ‘representatives’ of all the regions of the state. He said the institutions of the state have been rendered helpless under the NC-Congress dispensation. “People can get away with murders, loot, corruption, and serious human rights violations as the institutions are unable to function”. He said now they are in search of pair of bullocks, which they think people of state would provide. “Nobody in J&K is now ready to toil or labor for NC and its allies and work their luxuries, while the sate suffers,” he said.
Baig said the purpose of PDP to field senior leaders as candidates for parliamentary polls is a trend setting development. It is because we want the tragedy of Kashmir to be brought into focus at the national level and create awareness among everybody about the problems we are facing, he said. Unfortunately, he said, Lok Sabha polls have meant just the comforts of power for few and ministerial births for the members of Abdullah family, but PDP has come out with a clear manifesto for itself and if it receives a decisive mandate we are confident of seeking justice and fair play for the people of the state.
He said NC has always played a damaging role in any reconciliation process between India and Pakistan and between New Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir, but PDP wants to address both external and internal dimension of Kashmir issue and for that matter it will effectively involve the parliament and all shades of opinion in the country.
Baig said there is no denying the fact that it is the PDP, which changed the entire discourse about Kashmir, otherwise job of every Chief Minister before 2002, was to abuse Pakistan as they wanted to remain relevant in the corridors of power. Baig said PDP during its brief tenure in the government played a crucial role not only in bridging the mistrust between New Delhi and Kashmir, but made every effort to strengthen the relations between India and Pakistan, as the party sees it is fundamental requirement for peace and stability in the entire South Asia. “The opening of borders for travel and trade and talks between Hurriyat leaders and New Delhi added momentum to the entire process,” he said and regretted the process of reconciliation has been derailed now.
Baig said if there is any problem between the estranged neighbors it is all because of NC leadership as they have never been serious to see peace prevailing on the ground. “It is uncertainty in different forms which suits NC,” said Baig adding time is now up for them given the fact people have understood their deceitful tricks and double talks which are solely responsible for the prevailing mess in the state.Baig, who is PDP’s candidate for Baramulla constituency, said Sopore like other areas of the state has suffered immensely due to the bad times and it is the policy of PDP to understand the anger of people and involve them in the process of governance so that they will feel empowered enough to change the way politics is being looked by them and help the PDP in its unfinished agenda of political resolution and good governance.The senior party leaders, Naeem Akhtar, Chief Spokesperson; Syed Basharat Bukhari, MLA and district president Baramulla and local leaders Fazal Mehmood Baig and Ashaq Hussain were also present on the occasion.