On August 26, 2024, again addressing a gathering in Jammu, the Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (J&K PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti announced, she will never contest the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir as she does not wish to assume the position of Chief Minister for a region where splaying of the Democratic Party’s agenda will not be possible.
‘’I have been Chief Minister of a government with the BJP which reversed FIRs against 12,000 persons (in 2016)….May we do that now? I, as in Chief Minister of a government with (PM) Modi, came out and wrote letters to separatists inviting them for talks. Can you do that today? I managed to get a ceasefire implemented on ground level. Can you do that today? If you cannot take back an FIR that you yourself instituted as Chief Minister what good does such a post become?’’’ She questions.
While the PDP president was responding, she was asked whether she has had a change of heart on contesting the polls, following Omar Abdullah, the vice president of ‘arch rival’ National Conference, making a U-turn on his earlier position of boycotting the polls until Jammu & Kashmir is no longer an Union territory.
The former chief minister asked, ‘No I do not mind the peon’s transfer. Later on, I feel that let us get straight to the point, can we carry out our agenda for which we have come here?’ Omar himself said that no one should be at the door of the (lieutenant) governor for transfer of a peon.
Omar Abdullah, who had said he would refrain from Assembly elections as long as Jammu and Kashmir was a Union Territory, was on Tuesday (27 August) one of 32 nominees of the party which he came out with on 29 August.
The former Chief Minister will for the first time take the polls from Ganderbal which he won in 2008.
According to PDP president on National Conference-Congress alliance for Jammu & Kashmir elections, the two parties have always allied for the purpose of power only and it was pretty much same in this case also.
“Everybody expects miracles and the opening of prisons. Everybody expects this because it was done in 2002 when we formed an alliance and went together with the Congress Party. We know what happened with release of Syed Ali Geelani from jail. Can you think of doing it today? When we allied ourselves to the BJP government in 2014, it was an alliance on the agenda. It was also put in writing that the Article 370 will not be touched, AFSPA to be revoked, Pakistan and Hurriyat talks, return of power projects. We had an agenda. However, in a coalition between the Congress and NC, it’s about power she said,”.
Sreeram said this regarding the release of MPS and SAJ speakers before elections: ‘So would the Baramulla Lok Sabha MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid or the senior separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah. Yes, it would be good’.
Some of them were even entitled to bail but have been denied it. She asked the government to free even those who are less known.
“I venture that it is very good. I say that it is all acceptable to sentence a person to jail, however, the thoughts cannot be incarcerated. Democracies do not operate on ideas alone. It has come late in the day but Engineer Rashid and Shabir shall be released in that order and other persons who are deserving of bail but are still rotting in jail should be granted that which is even relief.
“Once again, we repeat and the government repeats..that they wish to initiate the processes of reconciliation in the region of Jammu and Kashmir. There is only one way to peace and that is to unlock the prison cells and that will bring peace,” saying that the doors of jails should be opened.
Ms. Mehbooba said the PDP is fighting for a bigger cause since it is the only political party which sticks to the words of the agenda after coming in to power.
“Similarly, when in 2002 we said we will repeal POTA, we did it. When we say we will open (cross-LoC) routes, we did it. We said we will push for the talks and we did it with the Hurriyat Conference. We do what we make promise and even now that there is a promise that does not engage. There is also the question of restoration of Article 370 which is also a condition for the problem being addressed.
‘We have always been engaged in such wars and fought along with people, which is why it is for people’s issues,’ she stated.
Later on two aspiring politicians became members of the PDP in the presence of the president of the party.
