Asks youth to gear up for upcoming assembly elections
‘J&K can be the best model for SAARC unity’
Srinagar: Reiterating the party’s resolve of making Jammu & Kashmir an epicenter of South Asian co-operation Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti,Sunday called upon India and Pakistan to end their differences for the lasting peace in the region. She also said youth are the core of PDP’s agenda and the party will make all out efforts to ensure their dignified life and employability in its future scheme of things.
Addressing a well-attended youth convention in Ganderbal, Mehbooba said resolution of J&K issue is a must to realize peace and development on the ground and the PDP, with the support of people, has a pivotal role to take the state out of the present quagmire. She said Kashmir has been a challenge for all the prime ministers of India since 1947, and there is need for serious efforts to address the prevailing alienation among the people of Kashmir. “I hope Prime Minister, Narendra Modi restarts stalled the process of dialogue and reconciliation that was initiated at the level of the then deputy prime minister L K Advani under the Vajpayee led government,” she said. Mehbooba said there was a need for a sustained dialogue between different shades of public opinion in J&K and New Delhi and between New Delhi and Islamabad for a dignified solution of Kashmir issue. She said that SAARC cooperation should begin from Jammu and Kashmir and the state should become a model of the economic integration among all these neighboring countries. Jammu and Kashmir can become a model for a free economic zone wherein all the neighboring countries invest and the state could reap the economic dividends, which would result in creating livelihood on a mass scale. “There is no better place than Kashmir to start the Handicrafts University proposed by the SAARC countries, which has historically been the hub of handicrafts and traditional arts in the entire world.” Mehbooba stressed.
Jammu and Kashmir has been the gateway to the central Asian countries but unfortunately after the partition of the sub- continent Kashmir became hostage to the animosity between India and Pakistan. So while the NDA government has expressed its willingness to engage with all its neighboring countries including China what better way than to restoring the old silk route that connects the whole region.
The PDP president said that though Kashmir issue needs a apolitical solution but bad governance, corruption and unemployment has further complicated the issue thus creating enormous instability and insecurity among the people.
Mehbooba said that the present Parliament results are an indication that the people want a change and they are looking towards PDP as better alternative to address the governance deficit and also create reconciliatory atmosphere on the ground for peace process to move forward. Pointing to the central government she said that besides issue of Kashmir, unemployment is the most pressing task before it and it needs to be taken as a national challenge and addressed very seriously. Referring to the poll boycott she said that democracy is a battle of ideas and everyone has a right to propagate their ideology therefore it is the people who have to decide which side they want to be.
“People need to support us to establish a new a system of hope in the state so that we could end this growth stagnation, corruption and unemployment among our youth and will create a congenial atmosphere for the resolution of Kashmir issue.” PDP’s agenda is a combination of political process along with good governance, therefore while complimenting the youth for their huge support in the recent parliament elections she further appealed to them to gear up for the upcoming assembly elections. She assured them that PDP will give priority to the youth and leave no stone unturned for creating avenues for their dignified livelihood.
Speaking on the occasion senior party leader, Qazi Mohammad Afzal said it was only during the PDP’s brief tenure in the government Ganderbal could see a robust infrastructural development and said the National Conference has always exploited the area for its political interests. In his address the party’s youth wing president, Waheed-Ur-Rehman Parra said time has come for the youth to fully assert themselves to become an active part of the system of governance and the PDP provides a platform to all those people who want to become part of the party’s story to see the state out of present uncertainty, underdevelopment and economic backwardness.Shri Bashir Ahamad, Senior leader,PDP,Ghulam Rasool Shaheen,Z.P,Ganderbal,Abdul Wahid and other P.D.P leaders were present on this occasion.