Srinagar: Saying that people who have suffered for years need healing rather than political victories, Mehbooba Mufti was on Thursday unanimously re-elected as president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for fifth term.
“Those who are hurting do not need victories. They need healing,” Mehbooba said in a social media post, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO). “My heart is heavy and full at the same time. I am grateful. You have trusted me for the fifth time and I do not take that lightly. But I also carry the pain of people who have given so much and been heard so little,” she said.
The proposal to re-elect Mehbooba was moved by former minister and senior party leader Abdul Rehman Veeri and seconded by senior leader Mohammad Khurshid Alam.
According to the party, all members of the electoral college present at the meeting unanimously supported her candidature, while members from Jammu participated online and extended their support.
Reflecting on the suffering of families who have lost their loved ones, Mehbooba said she had walked through lanes where mothers still kept lamps lit for sons who never returned and met fathers who had carried too many coffins but received too few answers.
She also referred to the uncertainty among young people, saying their question about whether tomorrow would be different from yesterday was one she heard and felt. “This is the party we built together, to answer our people’s pain, so that no one has to die searching for answers,” she added.
Mehbooba has been leading the PDP since 2003.—(KNO)
