The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday vowed to reinvigorate its struggle for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and slammed the ruling National Conference (NC) for allegedly not living up to the people’s expectations.
In its general council meeting chaired by party chief Mehbooba Mufti, the PDP acknowledged its poor electoral performance but reaffirmed “its unwavering commitment to the party’s foundational principles”.
“We resolve to reinvigorate our struggle for peace with dignity for the state of Jammu and Kashmir, using all democratic and constitutional methods to resolve the Kashmir issue, including the restoration of the special status that was enjoyed by our people until August 5, 2019, under the Constitution of India,” the PDP said in a statement after the meeting.
The party, which led the last elected government in Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with the BJP before the scrapping of the special status, failed to open its account in the Lok Sabha polls and bagged three seats in the Assembly polls, its worst-ever performance.
The PDP leadership discussed measures required to reinvent the party following the poll debacle.
The PDP statement said it was confident that its elected representatives could effectively articulate the concerns, aspirations and opinions of the people.
“PDP urges the Union government and the broader Indian populace about the issues of disempowerment, deprivation and humiliation resulting from the unconstitutional revocation of J&K’s constitutional rights, Article 370,” the statement said.
The party said it had hoped the Omar Abdullah-led government would act in accordance with the significant mandate and trust placed in its manifesto and commitments but regretted that the “initial actions of the current government have not fully met these expectations”.
“We urge the J&K government to recognise the mandate’s true essence and lead effectively,” it said.
“The party believes that the government must take effective measures in addressing critical issues such as electricity shortages, unemployment, drug crisis, the release of prisoners and the overexploitation of natural resources, which is damaging the environment and ecology irreversibly,” the PDP said.
The party called for the immediate review of the status of political prisoners lodged in jails across India, the release of “all individuals detained on weak or non-existent charges” and the transfer of others to prisons in Jammu and Kashmir.
The PDP leaders expressed concern over “the increasing climate of hatred against Muslims in India” and implored Prime Minister Narendra Modi to leverage his influence to “curb violence, dispel false narratives, and halt the targeting of Muslims through what we perceive as judicial overreach”.
“We reaffirm our belief in India as a nation that celebrates diversity, mutual respect and the protection of individual rights and beliefs,” the statement said.
Mehbooba accused the NC of maintaining “grave silence over pressing issues despite its 50 MLAs”.
“One party (NC) had 60-plus MLAs in 1999 and one minister in the BJP government at the Centre. But it was the PDP that fought against injustices and government-sponsored gunmen (Ikhwan),” she said.
“Even my party workers told me to keep mum; if not, they (Ikhwani’s) will plant an IED and blow me up. But our intention was based on sincerity. Today, the time has put the same responsibility on our shoulders and we have to talk for statehood, special status and the release of prisoners as the ruling government has kept silent on these issues.”
Omar had on Friday rejected the Opposition’s criticism of failure, saying they would publish a report card after the completion of its five-year rule.
“If the Opposition had to deliver, the people would have given them the mandate. We have been given five years and not five days, five weeks or five months,” he said.