National Conference General Secretary, Ali Muhammad Sagar on Wednesday presided over a meeting of the party’s Zonal and district Presidents at party headquarters here.
The participants highlighted the trepidation of people in their respective areas due to widespread administrative inertia, development deficit and rising unemployment rate.
They expressed concern over the uncertainty, chaos and confusion which has beset J&K following the measures which were taken on August 5 last year.
The speakers talked about the pain and suffering of people of J&K who continue to live through economic catastrophe, unemployment, fear, saying the new normal in J&K has cost jobs, tourism, industries, handicraft and horticulture.
The leaders maintained that people were seeing no light at the end of the tunnel and that the government was busy in photo-ops, and other media spectacles, not paying any attention to people’s problems.
The leaders hailed efforts of party President, Farooq Abdullah in his efforts of restoring special status to J&K.
While addressing the meeting, Sagar said every single sector of economy was bleeding and government on its part has failed to provide succor to the ailing businesses.
He said administration has been serving mere catchwords to people as recompense and that no substantial revival plan was envisaged by the incumbent regime to help the people tide over the economic crises induced by successive clampdown and lockdown since August 5 last year.
“The journey to catch up with the pre-2019 situation is a far cry unless people are not empowered politically and the unconstitutional and unilateral decisions of August 5 are not reversed. There can be no trade-off between political aspirations of people and development,” Sagar said.
The participants including Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, Nasir Aslam Wani, Muhammad Akbar Lone, Shameema Firdous, Bashir Ahmed Veeri, Ali Mohammad Dar, Muhammad Syed Akhoon, Showkat Ahmed Mir, Sheikh Ishfaq Jabbar, GM Mir, Abdul Majeed Bhat Larmi, Showkat Ganai, Peer Afaq Ahmed, Altaf Kaloo, Qaiser Jamsheed Lone, Javed Dar, Mir GR Naz, Haji Abul Ahad Dar, Salman Ali Sagar, spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar, Sabiya Qadri also discussed the party affairs and gave their inputs on re-organization of YNC bodies at zonal, district and block levels of Kashmir.