Mufti hits campaign trail with roadshow
: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday launched the party’s poll campaign from its erstwhile bastion of Shopian, canvassing support for Srinagar Lok Sabha candidate Waheed ur Rehman Parra.
The leader carried out a road show beginning from Tahab Pulwama town, Para’s hometown, and culminating at Imam Sahib which falls in Shopian. During the roadshow, the former chief minister interacted with people and addressed gatherings in villages falling in Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri seat, from where Mufti is contesting from.
She told people in Shopian, once a terror hotbed, not to boycott polls this time. “You should not boycott polls. I don’t know whether elections will ever happen here or not,” Mufti said.
Mufti also highlighted the plight of people who are in jails or are being arrested. “Even today people are being arrested and lodged in various jails. There are thousands of youths who are lodged in different jails. If the situation has improved then why are people being arrested? Who targeted the cab driver accompanying tourists in Shopian recently,” Mufti said.
The PDP president also spoke about the hardship that Parra, PDP’s youth wing president , faced in jail, saying, “To highlight issues of youths, I, along with Waheed today began our campaign. In the last four to five years Waheed also faced a lot of hardships which portrayed a picture of Kashmir.”
Mufti said that Kashmir has been turned into an open jail and nobody dares to speak against the atrocities. “Thousands of youths are arrested and booked under PSA. Not only in Pulwama and Shopian but in every place in the Valley, if elections are conducted on one hand then why these arrests?” she questioned.
“We touched around thousands of people falling in two Lok Sabha seats and response was overwhelming. It was the first roadshow of the party,” PDP spokesperson Mohit Bhan said.
BJP, however, negated the Mufti’s allegations , with party spokesperson Altaf Thakur, saying, “A question to Mehbooba Mufti? If Kashmir is a jail, how come public rallies, road shows, press conferences and media bytes have become part of the jail manual?”
In the last assembly elections in 2014, PDP won a majority of seats in Pulwama and Shopian districts, which were earlier part of the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat. After fresh delimitation, the two districts of south Kashmir have become part of Srinagar Lok Sabha seat.