Mehbooba Mufti said that she will not contest assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. File | Photo credit: PTI
Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party (J&KPDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday (28 August 2024) said she will not contest the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, indicating that she will not contest the assembly elections in the Union. They will not be able to fulfill the agenda of the party. established the region even if he becomes the chief minister.
“I have been the chief minister of a government with the BJP that quashed FIRs against 12,000 people (in 2016). Can we do that now? I (PM) Modi As the chief minister of the government, he wrote a letter to the separatists.
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The PDP president was asked if he had a change of heart about contesting while rival National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah reiterated his stance of not contesting the polls until Jammu and Kashmir became a union territory. But has taken a U-turn. .
“Umar himself had said that he (Lt) would have to go to the governor's door to exchange peons. I am not worried about exchanging peons but can we implement our agenda?” The former chief minister said.
Omar Abdullah, who had vowed not to contest assembly polls till Jammu and Kashmir remained a union territory, was among the 32 candidates nominated by the party on Tuesday (August 27).
The former chief minister will contest from Ganderbal where he won in 2008.
On the alliance between the National Conference and the Congress for the Jammu and Kashmir elections, the PDP president said that the two parties have always come together only for the sake of power.
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“When we allied with Congress in 2002, we had an agenda, we released Syed Ali Geelani from jail, can you think of doing that today? When we brought down the BJP government in 2014. What was the alliance, we had an alliance agenda in which we said in writing that Article 370 would not be tampered with, AFSPA would be abrogated, talks with Pakistan and Hurriyat, return of power projects. etc. However, when there is an alliance between Congress and NC, it is for him power,” he added.
On the possibility of Baramulla Lok Sabha MP Sheikh Abdul Rasheed and senior separatist leader Shabbir Ahmed Shah being released from jail before the elections, he said it would be a good development.
He urged the government to also consider releasing unknown persons who are entitled to bail but have been denied it.
“It's very good, I say you can put a person in jail but you can't jail ideas, democracy is a war of ideas, it's delayed but engineers Rashid and Shabir Shah are all in jails.” People who are entitled to bail should be released but are not getting this relief.
“The government is repeatedly saying that it wants to start the process of reconciliation in Jammu and Kashmir. I ask them to open the doors of the jails and the process of reconciliation will start,” she added.
Ms Mehbooba said the PDP is fighting for a greater cause as it is the only party that implements its agenda after coming to power.
“In 2002, we said we will cancel POTA and we did it, we said we will open the route (across the LoC) and we did it, we said we are in talks. We will facilitate this with the Hurriyat Conference. A restoration of 370 is also necessary.
He said that we have always fought alone for the support of the people and to solve the problems of the people.
The two budding politicians later joined the PDP in the presence of the PDP president.