Srinagar, Sep 20: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti has said the agenda for transforming Jammu and Kashmir into a hub of peace and economic stability can be achieved only with the active participation and struggle of youth of the state.
Mehbooba was addressing a PDP youth convention organised by Aga Syed Yousf at Budgam. Senior party leader and former finance minister Tariq Karra, senior party leader Aga Syed Mehmood, PDP leader and RTI activist Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat attended the convention.
Speaking on the occasion, Mehbooba said since its inception, PDP had promised people of the state that once in power the party will restore sense of security and provide a clean administration. It was during PDP regime, she said, that political process was initiated and new ventures for the empowerment of people like mobile telephony, creating new educational institutes, reforms in health sector and opening of traditional routes including Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road, Poonch-Rawalakote road, Mughal Road became a reality. She said reopening of these roads was the most significant development in breaking decades’ old mindset that denied the people of the state the right to travel across the LOC.
Mehbooba said inter-regional connectivity in the state was a thrust area of PDP’s vision of growth for the state. The construction of Mughal road had begun this process but it needed to be taken to next level by constructing a tunnel on this vital link between two regions of the state to make it an all weather facility. Similarly the party during its tenure had aimed at constructing a tunnel on the Srinagar-Anantnag Kishtwar road at Sinthan pass to make it traffic worthy throughout the year.
On the other hand, Mehbooba said, the National Conference right from 1947 till date created a wedge between the people of the state and rest of the country just to stay relevant and enjoy power. She said the only achievement NC can count is that this party made people of Kashmir a suspect in the eyes of people all over the country. “This is the main reason why youth of Kashmir are being harassed and suspected in other parts of the country where they go for studies, jobs or some other business. The worst example of harassment of youth is within the state where recently two boys were arrested just for wearing green cloths on Eid,” Mehbooba remarked.
The PDP president observed that it is an irony that National Conference leadership has always enjoyed best of the relationship with all leaders and political parties in the country but created a trust deficit between the people of the state and rest of the country. “It was NC which made a U-turn after losing power in 1950s and advocated secession from India for 22 years in the name of plebiscite front. And surrendered the same for 1975 power accord. The party showed its real face again in 1987, when it rigged elections just to stay in power. That was the year when NC forced youth of the state to take to guns, by changing politics of vote in politics of violence,” Mehbooba reminded the convention.
She said that now after ruling the state for many decades, nothing seems to have changed for the ruling party. “Today once again just to prove its nationality the NC has dubbed all Kashmiris as anti-nationals. The worst example can be the recent arrest of 11-year-old Faizan. NC not only demonized Kashmiris to stay in power but also compromised with the natural resource. The ruling party abysmally bargained on water resources thereby plunging the state into darkness and huge economic losses,” the PDP president said.
Mehbooba said that it was PDP’s agenda to restore the people’s faith in democratic process and use the same to build peaceful and prosperous Jammu and Kashmir wherein the youth who have been the worst sufferers can be beneficiaries of the socio-economic change. “PDP has been advocating re-negotiations of water resources with New Delhi, opening of all traditional routes to lift the economic siege from the state. The party also advocated for better representation in state versus central ratio in administration by proposing that 90 per cent of locals should constitute quota of IAS, IPS and other civil services in J&K and there should be a symbolic representation from outside the state,” Mehbooba stressed.
Addressing the convention, senior PDP leader and former Minister for Finance Tariq Hamid Karra explained the youth about reasons behind the formation of PDP and its futuristic agenda. “Besides restoring dignity and honour, PDP was formed with an aim to provide people of the state a platform to give vent to their socio-political aspirations,” Karra explained.
He said one of the biggest achievements of PDP is that people have accepted this party as an alternative to the National Conference. “It is not the question whether we are in the government or not but it is our achievement that we have won hearts and minds of the people and people have faith and trust on us,” Karra said and added that it was all due to the pro-people policies of the party that PDP has emerged as strong alternative in the state within a short span of time.
Pointing towards ‘rampant corruption’ in the state the former finance minister regretted that present regime had crossed all limits as far as corruption, favoritism and nepotism is concerned. He said that although all sections of the society were facing hardship due to wrong policies of preset regime, the youth was the worst victims of policies adopted by the present dispensation. He said that woes of the common masses were compounding with passing day due to wrong policies of the present dispensation.
Aga Syed Mehmood, the PDP senior leader while addressing on the occasion said PDP is once again seeking the support of the people for a total change in the system. He said party patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed’s vision is clear that people don’t want the political problem of Jammu & Kashmir to be swept under the carpet and transfer this problem to the next generation. “We want to take the resolution issue head on and get it resolved with the support of people and through democratic means,” he added.
Speaking on the occasion, RTI activist Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat described RTI an effective tool to expose corruption in the state. “We should use this right to expose the present defunct system. Through RTI, people particularly the youth can’t allow exploitation anymore,” Dr Bhat said and pledged his commitment to the PDP agenda and policies which include strong measures for establishing foolproof institutional accountability in the state. The convention was organised by Aga Syed Yousf.

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