PDP patron slams UPA, praises Atal

Opposition PDP in Jammu and Kashmir today attacked Congress-led UPA government at the Centre over its "failure" in making any progress on the political front in the state, and said it will "determinedly" make any future political formation at the Centre to work on both internal and external dimensions of Kashmir issue.
"There is an atmosphere of change both at the national as well as local level and the PDP will determinedly make any future political formation at the Centre to work on both internal and external dimensions of Kashmir issue," PDP patron and former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said.

Coming down heavily on the UPA government, Sayeed said the government was not able to address the JK issue over the last ten years and instead derailed the entire reconciliation process started by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
He was addressing party leaders, legislators and workers of Srinagar Parliamentary constituency at his official residence here.
He said the hanging of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guroo was the "most unfortunate" thing that could have happened in any democratic country.
"The Congress and National Conference (which is part of UPA II) went ahead with this without realising the sensitivities of the people of Kashmir," he said.

The former chief minister said the state is at the threshold of a change and the parliamentary polls will be a turning point to broaden the discourse over Kashmir issue at the national level. "The performance of the present MPs from the state has been disastrous to the extent that they have miserably failed to raise the issue in the Parliament," he said.

Sayeed said the fight of PDP is not with any individual or any ideology, but the party has its own agenda for the state and it will fight for the rights and political empowerment of the people, who are still being looked down upon with suspicion both in and outside the state.

"We have been choosing MPs but instead of working for the people and interests of the state in real sense, they choose to remain silent on crucial matters pertaining to JK," he said.
Sayeed said this vote is not just to change the government or elect MPs but there is a growing need to build the prevailing trust deficit between the people of J&K and rest of the country and between India & Pakistan, and PDP will work to make any future government at the centre to endorse its agenda of political resolution and empowerment of people.