‘Breach of trust’: Sajad Lone’s party quits PAGD

The Peoples Conference on Tuesday quit a seven-party grouping in Jammu and Kashmir called the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), delivering a blow to the coalition within three months of its formation. Peoples’ Conference leader and former J&K minister Sajad Lone wrote a strongly worded letter to PAGD chairperson and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah, citing “breach of trust” and alleging that some constituents of the alliance that fought last year’s district development council (DDC) polls together fielded proxy candidates against official nominees. “No party is willing to cede space; no party is willing to sacrifice. We fought against each other in Kashmir province, not against the perpetrators of August 5 (2019). And those who perpetrated August 5 and their minions are now vocally gleeful. It is difficult for us to stay on and pretend as if nothing has happened,” he wrote. HT has seen the letter.