Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senior leader and candidate for Khanyar constituency for upcoming assembly polls Muhammad Khurshid Aalam Saturday said that Jammu and Kashmir can be governed effectively only by a party which has the legitimate mandate of the people and articulates their political, social and economic aspirations with conviction and consistency.“I assure you that nobody can disregard the people’s mandate and the new government in Jammu and Kashmir would be chosen by the people and not picked out by cobbling-up timeserving alliances,” Aalam said while addressing a public at Khanyar.
He said only a strong government with democratic legitimacy can ensure peace and stability in the state and in a democratic setup people’s mandate is supreme and it has to be respected by one and all. “The fact that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are the biggest custodians of the state’s interests has to be recognized and their legitimate aspirations voiced through democratic means have to be respected to address the issues of trust-deficit and alienation,” he said and added that this is of fundamental importance to allow the democratic institutions in the State to grow and flourish without having the feeling of being in the protective custody.“The driving force for the PDP’s pro-people agenda is the public support, without which the party could have not achieved much, both in the government and in opposition,” he said and added that the party’s Self-Rule framework offers comprehensive solution to both the internal and external dimensions of the Kashmir issue.
Urging people to vote for PDP, he said those who last time voted for NC might be feeling guilty for Afzal Guru's hanging. "I think, those who last time voted for NC may be feeling in their hearts that if they had not voted for NC, Guru would not have been executed," he said.
"Similarly, had NC not been voted to power, children would not have been killed in 2008 and 2010, pellet and pepper gas could not have been used against innocent civilians and peaceful protesters.” He said that Omar Abdullah was on picnic in Ladakh with his children when Kashmiri children were killed in 2010. “He was enjoying music of Zubin Mehta in Shalimar garden when four youth in Gagran were killed,” Aalam said adding that the new generation is associating itself with PDP because of party’s policies and pro-people attitude.“In Khanyar the kith and kin of NC and Congress workers are joining PDP. I am hopeful that people of Khanyar constituency will counter NC’s nefarious designs by casting vote in favour of PDP’s candidate here”.