Mehbooba dissolves PDP’s key decision-making panel

TNN Bureau. Updated: 7/22/2019 10:12:44 AM Front Page

SRINAGAR: Three days after Khalil Bandh--former minister and founding member of party--resigned from the party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday dissolved the its top decision-making Political Affairs Committee (PAC).

"Mehbooba Mufti has dissolved the PAC and a new body will be reconstituted in near future," a PDP spokesman said, assigning no reasons for the sudden decision of the PDP president.

The move which comes less than a week ahead of the PDP's 20th foundation day anniversary scheduled to be observed on July28 is seen as a precautionary step by Mehbooba as more members are likely to leave PDP, which is already rattled by members who had called it a day from party since June 2018 when
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew support to the coalition government.

In past one year or so, the PDP suffered several jolts with many top leaders and legislators quitting the party and most of them joining other political parties. Leave MLAs and MLCs apart, Bandh was the fifth former minister to quit PDP, others being Altaf Bukhari, Haseeb Drabu, Imran Ansari, and Basharat Bukhari even as many influential former legislators had also left the party.

Party insiders were expecting the dissolution of PAC as rumours were of a few more leaders quitting the party in near future.

“It was done in the wake of number of senior party leaders including several MLAs and former ministers quitting the party,” they informed.

“The leadership is worried that Bandh’s resignation can trigger a fresh wave of resignations in south Kashmir where party cadres are demoralised after Mehbooba lost the Lok Sabha polls,” they told The News Now.

The PAC had 12 members: Mehbooba Mufti, Muzuffar Hussain Beig, Abdul Rehman Veeri, Flail Singh, Nizam-ud-din Bhat, Qazi Afzal, Mohammad Dilawar Mir, Yaspal Sharma, Mehboob Beig, Ashraf Mir, Haji Anayat Ali, Rafiq Hussain Khan and Choudhry Zulfkar.

While Mehboob Beig has resigned from the party and joined the National Conference (NC), Qazi Afzal passed away a few months ago, even as Nizam-ud-din Bhat has also been keeping a distance from party recently.

Meanwhile, Suhail Bukhari, PDP spokesperson and media advisor to Mehbooba, said that the new PAC will be formed soon.

“It is an effort to rejuvenate the party and its leadership. In the new PAC, fresh faces could be included who could help the party to grow in all regions, especially when the party is in need of good leaders and is out of power,” he said.


Comment on this Story