PDP candidate Khan lashes out at ‘directionless’ NC

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 20

Nazir Ahmad Khan of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today filed his nomination for the Srinagar parliamentary seat. The byelection is scheduled for April 9 in the constituency.

Nazir was accompanied by senior PDP leaders Muzaffar Hussain Baig and Imran Ansari during the filing of nomination papers before Returning Officer Farooq Ahmad Lone.

Immediately after filing the nomination, party leaders hit out at NC leader Farooq Abdullah and Kashmiri separatists.

“Farooq is a discredited politician,” Nazir said. Farooq is the NC-Congress alliance candidate for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat.

The PDP candidate claimed that when he contested the Beerwa Assembly elections in 2014 he had won the polls. However, Omar Abdullah was announced as the winner.

Later at a rally at party headquarters, Nazir said Abdullahs of Kashmir had ruined everyone from Pakistan to Hurriyat to mainstream politicians from time to time.

“He (Farooq) is now contesting with the support of the Congress. The NC should admit that it is handicapped to contest the polls alone,” he said. “The NC is a discredited party, which has always taken the interests of people and the state for granted for the sake of power. Time and again, the NC has made compromises and it is now a group of a few individuals with no specific and clear agenda. The only thing the party wants is to grab power and for that it will go to any extent.”

Lashing out at the Hurriyat, Baig said, “They have built homes on the graves of young people.”

He said the PDP-BJP government could not do much during the past two years mainly due to the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and later due to the unrest.

“However, we have four years and will ensure the work is done,” he said, adding that any delay in the implementation of the peace and development was only due to uncongenial atmosphere and unfortunate happenings ever since the party formed the government.

Baig also welcomed Imran Ansari, who had resigned from the state Cabinet.