Retreating resolve of her party to work as cementing force to unite all region and sub-regions of the State, president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti Saturday said that said that it was duty of every citizen of the country to protect special position of Jammu and Kashmir. “It is testing time for us. People, especially in Kashmir, have their own apprehension and are hesitantly looking at the political leadership of state and country”, she said adding, “Jammu and Kashmir has been given special status in the Indian constitution due to its distinct identity at the time of its accession and it is the responsibility of entire nation to protect this status in the interest of people and country at large”.
In a statement issued to KNS Mehbooba was addressing party leaders after being reelected as party president for fourth consecutive term. Her name was proposed by MPs Muzaffar Hussain Baig and Tariq Hussain Qarra and seconded by Sardar Rangeel Singh and Vikram Aditya. The elections, held under the chairmanship of MLA AR Veeri and observed by former MLC Ved Mahajan, concluded with voice vote in favour of Mehbooba Mufti.Terming Jammu and Kashmir issue as by-product of India’s partition in 1947, the PDP president said that the issue needs to be resolved for peace and tranquility in the region.She said that people of Jammu and Kashmir have given a decisive verdict to initiate steps to bridge gap between Jammu and Kashmir regions.
“Character of the verdict might be looking different but one thing is clear that it is a mandate against corruption and nepotism. It is decisive mandate because people of Kashmir Valley have over-whelmingly voted for PDP and people of Jammu have over-whelmingly voted in favour of BJP”, she said.She said that PDP would work assiduously to strengthen relations between Jammu and Kashmir regions and between people of Jammu and Kashmir and rest of the country. “We will work as facilitator to normalize relations between India and Pakistan”, she said.“Verdict of 2014 assembly elections is against mis-rule of NC-Congress coalition which had crossed all limits of corruption, loot and nepotism”, she said and added that people of Jammu and Kashmir have taught a lesson to both NC and Congress for their misdeeds.Rampant corruption mis-governance and lack of transparency were the trade mark of the NC-Congress government which has been thrown out by the people in the elections.
Expressing gratitude towards party workers for re-electing her as party president, she said it was matter of satisfaction that PDP has emerged as strong political force in the state as well as a credible voice of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.She said it is a proud movement for all of us that PDP has become the best alternative to the people of J&K given the fact that NC has never allowed the democracy to flourish here.“The formation of the PDP in the year 1999 was a turning point in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. In a short span of time, PDP has earned credibility of the state's people. The party has emerged as the biggest political force of the state”, she said and added that it was a historical fact that it was the PDP that revived the people's confidence of in democratic institutions.
Mehbooba hailed the commendable effort of the PDP cadres for taking the party’s pro-people agenda to the grassroots level and making the party a vibrant and dominant political movement across Jammu and Kashmir.
“It is all due to its convictions and commitments the PDP has emerged as a credible and strong political force in all the regions of the State”, she said.Echoing ideology of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, former Deputy Chief Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Beigh said that diversify character of the state makes it necessary that any government in the state should be inclusive in its approach. He said that it was always in the mind of Mufti Sahib that even if PDP would get absolute majority it would coped up with any party that over-whelmingly represent the people of Jammu or any particular area of people to make it full representative to fulfill wishes and aspirations of all regions and sub-regions.Beigh said that there was a need to bridge gap between the people of Jammu and Kashmir region, and which would possible only by respecting their mandate. He said that mandate given by the people in the just concluding assembly elections was an opportunity to bridge gap between people of Jammu and Kashmir. (KNS)