Centre pushing J&K political parties to the wall, says Mufti

Srinagar, January 3

Accusing the Centre of pushing Jammu and Kashmir’s mainstream parties “to the wall”, former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said sadly, these parties have become “scapegoats and everybody’s favourite whipping boy”.

Nevertheless, the PDP leader said, they are prepared for a “long and arduous political fight” for the restoration of Article 370 of the Constitution which was “illegally” abrogated.“Sadly, the mainstream political parties have become a scapegoat and everybody’s favourite whipping boy,” Mehbooba said.

“The truth is we will spend our entire political lives firefighting accusations from Delhi of being pro-Pakistan and from Kashmir of being too pro-India and anti-Kashmir,” she added.

During an interview here, Mehbooba emphasised that the PDP and six other mainstream parties which recently came together to form the People’s Alliance of Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) had resolved to fight for the restoration of the erstwhile state’s special status through only democratic and peaceful means but the “Centre is still pushing us to the wall and criminalising dissent”.

Article 370 accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

“Nothing is set in stone,” the PDP leader remarked when asked if she realistically expected any government in India to reverse the abrogation of Article 370 by Parliament on August 5, 2019, a decision that was widely welcomed across the country.

“Had Parliament’s decision been ultimate, we would not have seen lakhs of people on the streets protesting against laws like the CAA or farm bills,” Mehbooba said before asserting, “What was snatched from us unconstitutionally will have to be returned, but it is going to be a long and arduous fight”.

The former Chief Minister said the results of the recent District Development Council (DDC) elections, in which the PAGD won 112 seats out of 280, were a clear rejection of the abrogation of Article 370 by the people.

“The DDC elections were a sudden challenge thrown at us and we were denied a level- playing field. We took it head-on and fought it unitedly to deny any democratic space to the BJP and its proxies and prevent them from disempowering our people. — PTI 

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