Jammu, July 18: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has decided not to participate in the National Conference’s proposed protest at Jantar Mantar, saying that a campaign focused only on restoring statehood overlooks the larger constitutional issues facing the region.
In a letter to National Conference President Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Mufti expressed gratitude for the invitation but said the PDP, after consulting its senior leadership, had unanimously chosen to stay away from the protest because its agenda was limited to the restoration of statehood.
She maintained that restricting the political movement to statehood alone could weaken the demand for the restoration of Article 370 and might be interpreted as accepting the constitutional changes introduced on August 5, 2019. According to her, those developments fundamentally altered Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional position and reduced the former state to a Union Territory.
Mufti said the people of Jammu and Kashmir continue to feel the impact of those decisions, adding that the constitutional safeguards linked to the region’s accession to India were removed through a single decision.
Referring to the 2024 Assembly elections, she noted that both the PDP and the National Conference had promised to work for the restoration of Article 370 in their election manifestos. She said the public mandate received by the National Conference reflected the expectations of people on that issue.
The PDP leader also accused the National Conference of gradually narrowing the broader political discourse to the issue of statehood, arguing that such an approach aligns with the BJP’s narrative by sidelining the demand for Article 370.
She further criticised the Omar Abdullah-led government, alleging that it had not effectively opposed several developments, including the dismissal of government employees, action against Jamaat-e-Islami and its associated institutions, preventive detentions, restrictions on certain publications, and issues related to environmental protection.
Highlighting the united stand taken by political leaders in Ladakh for constitutional safeguards, Mufti said she had earlier proposed a similar collective initiative among regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir. However, she claimed that her proposal did not receive any formal response.
Calling for a united political approach, she urged Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to convene an all-party meeting involving regional political parties and representatives of civil society to prepare a common strategy for addressing Jammu and Kashmir’s political and constitutional concerns.
Mufti also demanded the release of political detainees and the removal of restrictions on socio-political organisations, including Jamaat-e-Islami, saying these issues should be included in any meaningful political dialogue.
Concluding her letter, she said that limiting the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to the restoration of statehood alone would be unfair and would fail to address the broader constitutional questions. While declining to join the protest, she conveyed her best wishes for the success of the National Conference’s demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
