President Mehbooba Mufti on Friday emphasized that the ongoing elections in Jammu and Kashmir are not merely about civic amenities but represent a crucial battle for the region’s dignity, honor, and the freeing of its innocent youth who are currently languishing in jails without trials.
Addressing the people in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, Mehbooba condemned the raids conducted by agencies of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), terming them as assaults on the innocent people of Jammu and Kashmir.
She highlighted the plight of the youth languishing in jails without trials, urging voters to cast their mandate in favor of candidates who empathize with the common Kashmiri.
Mehbooba said the main reason for fielding Waheed ur Rahman Parra from the Srinagar constituency is that there is no person other than him who can relate to the pain of a common Kashmiri and represent them in the Parliament.
“Waheed was accused of freeing jailed youth, rehabilitating downtrodden families”, she said and added, “he himself has come from a humble background, and there is no other person more able than him to represent the people, their real aspirations, and needs in the parliament”.
Reacting to the Election Commission of India (ECI) notice served to Parra for telling people that the vote should be your referendum, the PDP President said that it is ironic that BJP leaders are spewing venom in poll rallies, instigating riots, pitting Hindus against Muslims and the ECI is silent.
“But when a candidate speaks of the agonies of people of Jammu and Kashmir, he is served with notice. This can give you an idea about what is going wrong in this country and where,” Mehbooba said.
She said “People know the three-year rule of the PDP when peace with dignity was accorded to the masses and what we did in our brief tenure, NC couldn’t do in 50 years of its rule. We ended gun culture, repealed the black laws, opened roads across the LOC, and built new universities. This was all done by the PDP in a mere three years,” Mehbooba said.
The PDP President reiterated that the current election is a crusade against injustice and oppression. She also stressed the urgency of addressing the suffocation felt by the common Kashmiri.
“A common Kashmiri is feeling suffocated. No one is allowed to speak up. The government wants to present a different picture, claiming tourists are coming in large numbers but a common Kashmiri is dying every day due to suffocation, due to the mental agonies inflicted upon him and multiple assaults on his identity. This election is to stop that tirade,” Mehbooba said.
