Peoples Democratic Party has deferred its meeting which was to be held on Monday after it did not get any official response to the letters sent to authorities informing them about the meet.
The party had planned to re-group 26 of its leaders, for the first time after more than a year, at the residence of PDP patron Muzaffar Hussain Beigh at Nishat here. However, many of the leaders who had to attend the meeting, as per PDP sources continue to be under house arrest. “There has been no official response which makes it doubtful whether these leaders can move out of their homes,” said a party source. He said that “no response was received to the letters and e-mails from PDP secretary to the authorities informing them about the meeting”.
“The party has informed multiple authorities regarding the planned meeting. But till now we have not received any response so we decided to postpone it for now till we get the official response,” PDP sources said.
PDP sources on Saturday had told this newspaper that a meeting on Monday would be held to “discuss party affairs”. The meeting was being seen as one of the first steps by PDP to re-group, especially after the exit of many of its leaders, including a few seniors, who recently joined the newly-floated JK Apni Party. The announcement to hold the meeting had also put an end to speculations regarding severed ties between Muzaffar Hussain Beigh and PDP. More than 25 PDP leaders including former MLAs, MLCs and a few ex-ministers were expected to be a part of the meeting which now stands postponed. The meeting would have been in the absence of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, who continues to be under detention after the Jammu and Kashmir administration on July 31 extended her detention period by three months under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
Mufti was among several leaders detained before August 5, 2019, and booked under PSA. She remains lodged at her residence at the Gupkar Road, which has been declared as a subsidiary jail.