Srinagar: Opposition PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Sunday said the ongoing assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were not just about development, but also about “safeguarding” the distinct identity of the state and upholding the dignity of its people.
“Jammu and Kashmir is poised for a positive turn as the movement for change is gaining ground in every nook and corner of the state. This election is not just about development and governance, it is about safeguarding the distinct identity of the state and upholding the dignity of its people,” Sayeed said.
The Peoples Democratic Party patron was addressing a series of election rallies at Chassana, Sangaldan, Qazigund, Uri and Kunzer in various assembly segments of the state.
The former Chief Minister said the momentum had already been set for a “momentous change” in the first phase of polls.
“PDP has been able to inspire confidence among the people in all the regions of the state about its ability to solve the multiple problems faced by Jammu and Kashmir on political, economic, administrative and financial fronts.
“With a decisive mandate, PDP will carry forward its agenda of political resolution, good governance and employment generation and convert Jammu and Kashmir into a real welfare state,” he said.
Sayeed said the political subversion and uncertainty that the state had faced in the last seven decades had taken a heavy toll on its polity, economy and human resource and it can ill afford any further disruption. .
“Attempts are being made currently by some quarters to squeeze the space for its residents will have to be met with maturity, wisdom, collective action and democratic assertion of our rights,” he said.
“The people of the state in general and the youth in particular are looking up towards PDP with great hope and expectations to put up a responsive political structure, productive economic setup and supportive social fabric in place,” he said.
The PDP patron said the party has come out with a manifesto which enumerates comprehensive agenda to safeguard the state’s special constitutional position and identity, lays out a futuristic economic and developmental agenda and gives a vision that is politically unifying and economically inclusive.
“The party would with a fresh resolve strive towards accomplishing the unfinished agenda of resolution and development set off in 2002,” he said.
“The ‘Self-Rule’ framework being the guiding principle for the resolution of the Kashmir issue, PDP would work towards facilitating closer ties across the LoC, making the borders irrelevant, reviving the state’s traditional connectivity with outside world to pave the way for economic and social integration of the region through a common economic market,” he said. (PTI)
