PDP open to address political challenges in J&K

Srinagar: Expressing concern on the attempts being made to fragment the mandate in Jammu and Kashmir, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) asserted on Tuesday that it shall be open for a joint response to the new political challenges in the state.

The concerns were expressed by the members of Political Affairs Committee of the PDP, who met party president Mehbooba Mufti.

"The party held a threadbare discussion about the current political situation within the state of Jammu and Kashmir besides the measures to be taken to strengthen the party at grassroots level," PDP spokesman Rafi Ahmad Mir said after the meeting.

He said the participants observed that the onslaught on the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was multi-dimensional and every attempt was being made to politically disempower the people of the state.

"It was also felt that while in some parts of the state the voters are being unified for common cause there were parallel efforts being made in other parts of Jammu and Kashmir to create a vertical political split in order to chock and curb regional aspirations”, the spokesman said.

In the meeting, it was decided that a wider consensus needs to be built to defeat the nefarious designs aimed at dividing the state into fragments and disempowering people, he said.

Mir said the members felt a coordinated political initiative was needed to restore the political authority of people of the state and protect the core interests of Jammu and Kashmir.

"The party declared that it is open to coordination and reach out to safeguard Jammu and Kashmir's core interests and special position," the spokesman said.

The meeting was attended by party patron Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, Abdul Rahman Veeri, Abdul Haq Khan, Ghulam Nabi Lone, Mehboob Beg, Rafi Ahmad Mir, Sartaj Madni and Naeem Akhtar.