Srinagar: The Peoples Democratic Party on Monday expressed serious concern over New Delhi’s “renewed efforts to create and foster new fault lines” between the people of Jammu and Kashmir aimed at “dividing and further disempowering” them.
The Political Affairs Committee (PAC) – the highest decision making body of the party – met here with PDP president Mehbooba Mufti in chair, a party spokesman said.
He said the meeting observed that resorting to “naked communalism” and pitting people against each other on the basis of religion, caste, sect and ethnicity are the only tools of the BJP to “cover up its failure” in governance, hence the divisive policies are gaining fresh ground and are being promoted unabashedly.
“This is being done to further divide the people so as to accomplish the agenda of complete disempowerment of the people of J&K,” the meeting observed and cautioned the people to not fall prey and give in to such plans.
People should collectively rise in unison to defeat such plans, the party said.
The PDP spokesman said the PAC meeting observed that all the regions of J&K, “apart from being robbed of their constitutional and democratic rights, are slowly witnessing the catastrophic ramifications of the BJP-RSS plans” in sectors like business, employment, right to natural resources, etc.
“Initially, some people had fallen to the false narrative of empowered Jammu as a lame justification for all that the Government of India has been doing since August 05, 2019, but it is evident and accepted now that Jammu region is also paying a heavy price for the misadventures and nefarious acts of the BJP government,” the party said.
As a whole, the “abject failure” of the BJP government has given J&K the dubious distinction of having the highest unemployment rate in the country, it said.
The spokesman said the PAC resolved that the party would redouble its efforts to fight the designs of “dividing and disempowering” the people of Jammu & Kashmir and would give voice to the concerns and aspirations of all the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
Expressing anguish over the spree of recent arrests and initiation of action against students within and outside J&K, the PAC termed the government action as uncalled-for and resolved that the party would explore and extend all possible help, including legal, to the victims of such action.
The meeting also reiterated the party’s demand of immediate release of all political prisoners and speedy and impartial investigations into the cases of recent civilian killings.
The PAC also condemned the government’s arbitrary actions against employees including a recent spree of “illegal terminations”. The meeting also expressed grave concern over the “deteriorating” security situation and spike in violence levels, the spokesman said.
Meanwhile, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti was on Monday put under house arrest to prevent her from visiting Anantnag to meet the family of a youth who was killed in “cross-firing” between security forces and militants last week, a party leader claimed.
The Peoples Democratic Party leader claimed that the police have locked the main gate of Mehbooba’s house.
A police official said the PDP chief was not allowed to visit Anantnag due to security reasons.
