Senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig has said Dr Farooq Abdullah wants to eliminate PDP with bullets. But we believe in democratic means and would defeat the NC through ballot.Addressing well attended public meetings in Drugmulla and Dardpora in Kupwara of Baramulla parliamentary constituency today he said Dr Abdullah has turned this Lok Sabha election into a fight between fascism and democracy. Baig said, “Farooq Abdullah’s threat to use bombs and bullets to teach PDP a lesson” betray his fascist mind which has always guided NC politics.The NC from the very beginning has been intolerant of opposition and has always used foul methods to dominate their opponents but PDP is proving a hard nut for them to crack, said Baig. He said having been unable to fight the PDP politically Dr Farooq has come down to real level of his party to browbeat our party which again is an impossible mission for him.
Baid said NC has throughout its history misled Kashmir on every crucial occasion and stabbed the people who followed them in their back. That is why while entire South Asia has resolved its problems after independence Kashmir continues to face instability, death and destruction.He said the Lok Sabha election provide an opportunities to people to elect such representatives as would sincerely present their case to the parliament and neutralize to some extent the damage caused by NC.Baig said in spite of having voted continuously for the National Conference, over last 40 years, backward areas like Karnah, Kupwara and Gurez are languishing in almost in Stone Age, because of lack of infrastructure. He said the interests of residents of border areas are crucial to his party’s vision of making Jammu and Kashmir a bridge between India and Pakistan and lifting the post-independence siege laid around the state.He said the development agenda for Kupwara, has remained unchanged for the last half century or more, because of failure of the NC to deliver. He said huge money allocated for the projects in Kupwara have clearly been misappropriated. “This money has straight away into the pockets of the ruling party leaders and their agents.
Baig said the cease-fire agreement between India and Pakistan in 2003, had brought peace into the lives of people living in the border areas, and it was not restricted to cessation of hostility alone, but was perceived as the essential first step in building peace and reconciliation, so that these artificial borders could ultimately be opened for travel and trade.“That is why the PDP demonstrated against the recent ceasefire violations, at a time when even the Chief Minister had also tried recommending ‘other options’. As any escalation would not only mean threat to lives and property along the LoC, but it could have shattered the entire progress achieved in the LoC travel and trade and other Confidence Building Measures (CBMs), which we see as part of a grand vision, for virtual reunification of the state without changing the borders,” said Baig.
Baig said PDP during its brief tenure in the government played a pivotal role in getting India and Pakistan close to each other and solid progress was visible on making Kashmir a bridge between the two neighbors. But that whole process was reversed with the arrival of the present government.Baig said time has now come that the process of reconciliation is taken to its next level, by implementing the decisions to extend the travel facility to groups beyond the pided families. He said procedures need to be relaxed and to increase more people-to-people contacts, more routes need to be opened. Once that is done, places like Kupwara, Karnah, Tangdhar and other border areas would become hubs of trade and tourism activity.Baig said Omar Abdullah has declared war with every section of the society especially the youth, and it is now up to the people to think and make sure that the insensitive and inept rulers are shown the door.