Srinagar: Targeting the ruling National Conference for Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather having rejected a resolution submitted by Pulwama MLA Waheed Para for restoration of public holidays on July 13 and December 5, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said the exercise (seeking public holiday on July 13) “looks more like a lip service than any serious effort”.
“Omar Abdullah government’s proposal sent to the LG about declaring July 13 and December 5 as public holidays would have carried weight if the speaker had supported the PDP’s resolution for the same in the assembly,” said Mufti in a press release issued by the PDP.
“The speaker’s outright rejection of the resolution was unexpected and disappointing. Today’s exercise looks more like lip service than any serious effort,” she added.
The PDP chief said the National Conference’s double-speak on the issue has been exposed by dropping the resolution.
“By dropping the PDP’s July 13 Martyrs’ Day resolution, the J&K Assembly has exposed the NC’s double-speak on Kashmir’s history. Their silence proves complicity, not commitment,” said Mufti.
“The outright rejection of the resolution by the speaker in the assembly was both unexpected and deeply disappointing, undermining any credibility the subsequent move by the NC-led government might claim,” the PDP said.
“As it stands, this entire exercise looks more like a symbolic gesture and political lip service than a serious, sincere effort to preserve the historical and democratic identity of Jammu & Kashmir,” the party added.
The PDP further said it believes that July 13, 1931 marks the beginning of Kashmir’s political awakening and resistance to autocracy, and “the martyrdom of 22 brave individuals must be formally honoured, not just in words but through institutional recognition”.
“PDP reiterates its unwavering commitment to preserving the dignity and memory of the 1931 martyrs and safeguarding the democratic foundations they laid. We will continue to resist all attempts, covert or overt, to erase or dilute Kashmir’s past to suit present-day political conveniences,” the party added.
