"They Are Not Untouchable": Mehbooba Mufti On Former Hurriyat Leader Joining PDP (Facebook image@ Mehbooba Mufti)
Former Hurriyat Conference leader, Syed Salim Gilani, joined PDP (People’s Democratic Party). Speaking to reporters at the party headquarters in Srinagar, Mehbooba Mufti, the former Chief Minister of Jammu Kashmir, said the Hurriyat is not from “China or Pakistan…are not untouchables”.
The announcement of the alliance was made at the PDP headquarters in Srinagar, as the Assembly election is scheduled to take place in three-phase, on September 18, 25, and October 1st. Speaking to reporters, Mufti said her party’s issue is to solve the Kashmir issue, and the process of dialogue and reconciliation is necessary to achieve it.
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“The agenda of the PDP is reconciliation and dialogue… The Hurriyat is not from China or Pakistan. LK Advani spoke to them when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the PM… They are not untouchables. Our agenda is to solve the Kashmir issue, and the process of dialogue and reconciliation is necessary for it. We want to find a solution within the Consitution, and if the Hurriyat also wants to be a part of the process, then it is appreciated… PDP does not fight elections of the chair… Our party fights for the resolution of Jammu and Kashmir and not just power…”, she said.
#WATCH | Srinagar, J&K: On talks with Hurriyat leaders, former J&K CM & PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti says, “The agenda of the PDP is reconciliation and dialogue… The Hurriyat is not from China or Pakistan. LK Advani spoke to them when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the PM… They are not… pic.twitter.com/pm0cPkH0Ja
— ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2024
Reportedly, Gilani is likely to be the PDP’s candidate from Khanyar constituency in old city Srinagar, where he is set to face off against Ali Mohammad Sagar of the National Conference (NC), a five times MLA and former minister.
After joining the party, Gilani said underscored that violence cannot be a solution to the Kashmir issue, and it can only be solved politically. “Gun cannot be a solution. This is the only way to save lives that are being lost to violence”, he told reporters.
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To the question of why PDP, Gilani said it is the only party which fights for the rights of the Kashmiri people. “PDP is a party which talks about democratic rights, human rights and political rights of people. It talks about political solution to Kashmir problem … So I felt it is the right party to join”, he said.
The former separatist leader Gilani’s entry into the PDP and his candidacy from Khanyar is expected to intensify the competition in a constituency, which has traditionally been a Congress fort.
The new development comes at a time when many separatist organisations and religious clerics are jumping into the electoral fray for the upcoming assembly elections in Jammu Kashmir.
