Omar should have convened all-party meeting before Delhi outreach: Mehbooba

Srinagar, Jul 22: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said the ruling National Conference (NC) is normalising the constitutional changes of August 5, 2019 by reducing Jammu and Kashmir’s political discourse to the demand for restoration of statehood alone.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, Mehbooba, said, “Chief Minister Omar Abdullah should have convened an all-party meeting before approaching the Centre so that all political parties could jointly represent the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
“The mandate of the people is not only for statehood. It is for resolving the larger political issues as well. Before going to Delhi, the Chief Minister should have convened an all-party meeting so that a united voice of Jammu and Kashmir is presented before the Centre,” she said.
The former Chief Minister alleged that by focusing only on statehood and distancing itself from its promises on Article 370 and other constitutional safeguards, the National Conference was helping ‘normalise’ the developments of August 5, 2019.
Questioning the NC’s stand on Article 370, Mehbooba said, “If Article 370 cannot be restored, why did NC include it in the manifesto? Why was it promised during the election campaign?”
Mehbooba said the restoration of constitutional safeguards and a political resolution of the Kashmir issue should not be dismissed as impossible, recalling that the opening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road was once considered unachievable before it eventually became a reality. “When we talked about opening the Muzaffarabad road, people said Mufti Sahib was showing false dreams. But the road was eventually opened. The demand for Article 370 and the resolution of the Kashmir issue is not a false dream. It is a reality,” she said.
She said the PDP would continue to pursue dialogue and constitutional measures to safeguard the rights and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Mehbooba also alleged that the National Conference had historically ‘normalised’ political developments in Jammu and Kashmir and was once again doing the same by restricting its political campaign to statehood.
“By talking only about statehood and saying nothing beyond it is possible, they are normalising what happened in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019,” she alleged.
On the proposed July 23 protest in New Delhi, Mehbooba said the PDP had not yet taken a decision on whether it would participate.
“We have not taken any decision yet,” she said.
Earlier, Mehbooba welcomed former Sangrama MLA Shoaib Nabi Lone into the Peoples Democratic Party and said the party would continue to encourage young people to carry forward its ideology and connect with the people across Jammu and Kashmir. (KNO)