The ruling National Conference today accused Peoples Democratic Party Chief Mehbooba Mufti of double standards on prisoners issue.
The accusation came on a day when Mehbooba filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, seeking repatriation of all undertrial prisoners lodged in jails outside Jammu & Kashmir.
The NC termed Mehbooba’s stance before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court “hypocritical”.
Addressing a series of public meetings across Budgam constituency- which is going to bypolls next week,, Chief Spokesperson and MLA Zadibal Tanvir Sadiq, Central Zone President and MLA Chadoora Ali Muhammad Dar, MLA Sonawari Hilal Akbar Lone, MLA Khansahib Saif-ud-Din Bhat, and District President Budgam G.N.
Bhat urged people not to fall into the “trap being laid by the PDP”, which they said is attempting to “hide its failures from 2014 to 2018 behind a smokescreen of rhetoric.”
The NC leaders criticized PDP President Mehbooba for what they termed as her “hypocritical” stance before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, where she urged for the transfer of undertrial prisoners from outside jails back to J&K.
“It is ironic that most of these prisoners were shifted out during the PDP-led government. Between April 2016 and August 2017, over 1,000 youth were booked under the PSA during Mehbooba Mufti’s tenure,” they said.
The NC leaders further said that the people have not forgotten the suffering inflicted during that period.
“People know who ordered the use of pellets on innocent youth in 2016. They remember who imposed GST, breaking the backbone of artisans, and who enforced the Food Security Act that snatched away the basic rights of the poor. No theatrics can absolve the PDP of its dark legacy or its opportunistic alliance with the BJP,” they said.
Reaffirming the National Conference’s commitment to defending the rights and dignity of the people, the leaders said,
“Those who collaborated with the BJP in disempowering our people are now trying to return wearing new masks. The people of Budgam will not be deceived again. Our struggle is for the restoration of dignity, rights, and identity of Jammu and Kashmir and the National Conference will continue to lead that fight with honesty, courage, and conviction.”
They appealed to the people of Budgam to remain vigilant against divisive forces and unite under the National Conference’s banner to secure a strong, stable, and people-centric government in Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier, Mehbooba had said that she waited hoping that in the past year since an elected government came into being the National Conference would take action on the issue of undertrial prisoners lodged in jails outside Jammu & Kashmir.
“PDP even brought a resolution into the assembly advocating for this cause but unfortunately it was rejected. After exhausting every other option the only recourse left was to approach the Hon’ble High Court on behalf of these prisoners languishing in jails alien from their homes & Kashmir,” she said on X.
“The process itself has become punishment as they have yet to be proven guilty. Majority of these under trials hail from poor families lacking the wherewithal to defend themselves while being so far from their loved ones. I sincerely hope justice prevails,” Mehbooba added.
