Reacting to the pulling out of Peoples Conference (PC) from Peoples’ Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), National Conference (NC) Member of Parliament Hasnain Masoodi Tuesday said that it was not a setback to the alliance.
A local news gathering agency KNS quoted Masoodi as saying that he does not see it as a setback to the alliance that was formed to fight for the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir on democratic principles.
“In a democracy, everyone has a right to stay in any alliance or pull out of it as per his or her will. If Sajad thinks it is the right decision to pull out of the alliance, so be it but this is not a setback to PAGD,” Masoodi said.
He said that the purpose of the alliance was to restore the special status of Jammu and Kashmir that it had before August 5, 2019, and the alliance was well on track and hopefully would achieve the desired results with the support of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
On whether Lone should rethink his decision of pulling out of the alliance, Masoodi said that he would be welcome if he has a change of heart in the coming days.
About suggestions he would give to PAGD President Farooq Abdullah and PAGD Vice President Mehbooba Mufti after Lone’s pullout from the alliance, he said, “They should stand united and believe that the path they have chosen is for the welfare of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the coming generations.”
Masoodi said that everyone who was in the alliance had a belief that they were on the right track.
“DDC polls were a challenge for every one of us and we overcame that challenge despite many hurdles. The success of the PAGD in the DDC polls should not be downplayed,” he said. “That success in the DDC polls was encouraging. There is no setback to the alliance in any way. Everyone acknowledges the support PAGD got during the DDC polls.”