Srinagar, Nov 30: Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is organising protest rallies across Kashmir valley as part of its ongoing campaign to focus attention on “growing corruption, misgovernance, human rights violations and harassment of youth in the state.”
These protest demonstrations will be held at zonal level on 24th December 2011, a statement issued by PDP said.
The decision, according to the statement, was taken at a joint meeting of senior party leaders, legislators, district and zone presidents of the party held under the chairmanship of party president Mehbooba Mufti here Wednesday.
The meeting discussed the problems faced by the people as a result of the complete failure of the coalition govt led by Omar Abdullah, the statement said.
The party has already held demonstrations at the provincial and district levels after the exposure of Haji Yousuf case.
Speaking at the meeting Mehbooba said the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had lost all moral authority to run a transparent and honest administration. “It was always known that Chief Minister’s office has now become the fountainhead of institutionalized corruption but the tragic Haji Yousuf episode has exposed the corrupt practices within the Abdullah family and misuse of the Chief Minister’s institution conclusively”, she said and added that when Chief Minister and his family have so much to answer how can he reign-in his ministers or the corrupt officials.
Mehbooba said the press reports daily suggest the involvement of the ministers in one or the other scam and about the swelling size of their properties “but for obvious reasons there is no accountability.” This menace, she said has now travelled down the line to the junior-most officials making the life of common people miserable.
Mehbooba said on the one hand electric supply has been reduced drastically and power is off for most of the time but on the other an exorbitant increase in power tariff has been affected.
Maintaining that the state has never had such an inefficient and anti-people government as the present one, Mehbooba said it had failed to come up to the expectations of anyone. She said the Srinagar city which is represented by the NC through its eight MLAs and an MP is ironically turning out to be the worst victim of this government’s failure. She said not only have all the projects started by PDP-Congress coalition like the beautification of Jehlum, conservation of Dal lake, beautification of Eidgah, construction of seven flyovers been shelved, but the NC government has converted Srinagar into a virtual destitute city. No measures have been taken for employment of urban youth leading families into destitution. “For raising voice against these excesses the Omar Abdullah administration has targeted the youth of the city,” she said and added that after killing 120 of them last year across the valley, many of them from Srinagar, thousands have been framed on fake charges and entrapped in fabricated cases. She said rounding up of youth in Srinagar has become a norm and a source of income for the workers of NC.
Mehbooba said the PDP will continue to channelise these issues while carrying on the fight for its larger agenda for the dignified resolution of Kashmir problem.
Senior leaders Tariq Hameed Karra, Abdul Rehman Veeri, Muhammad Sartaj Madni, Sofi Abdul Gaffar, Syed Bashir Ahmad, Muhammad Khalil Bandh, Peerzada Mansoor Hussain and others also addressed the meeting.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 1 Dec 2011 00:00:00 IST