Mehbooba accuses NC of reducing PAGD to a ‘joke’

Srinagar, Mar 8 (PTI) Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday accused the National Conference (NC) of reducing the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) to a “joke” after the Farooq Abdullah-led party unilaterally decided to contest all three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir.

PAGD is an alliance of five political parties seeking the restoration of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir which was revoked by the Centre in 2019.

Addressing a press conference at the party office here, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the NC’s decision was “disappointing” and a “setback to the hopes of the people of J&K”.

“Omar (Abdullah) has himself said that the PDP is out of the alliance. You can see who has broken the alliance. We did not. This was a unique alliance, it is disappointing to see it shattered. They have reduced PAGD to a joke,” Mufti said when asked if the NC’s decision meant the alliance was broken.

The NC has announced the party would contest all the three seats in the Kashmir valley and asked the Congress to contest on two seats in the Jammu region. The party also said there would be a consensus candidate on the Ladakh seat.

Jammu and Kashmir has five Lok Sabha seats, including two from the Jammu region , while Ladakh has one. In the last elections, while the NC won all the three seats from the valley, the BJP won the two Jammu seats as well as the lone Ladakh seat.

Mufti, however, said the PDP was still a part of the INDIA bloc and the party would discuss the future strategy with the Congress.

“We will discuss with the Congress and not take a unilateral decision. We will also deliberate it within the party and soon take a decision on it (contesting the Lok Sabha polls),” she added.

She said it was “difficult to see the unity break”.

“I regret that what we nurtured for five years has been shattered,” she said. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said had the NC leadership discussed the issue with her, the PDP could have let the NC contest on all the three seats in the valley.

“There used to be a discussion on smaller issues within the PAGD, but the NC took such a decision without consulting us,” she said, adding what the BJP couldn’t do (breaking PAGD), has been done by a member of the alliance.