PDP has earned credibility of people through its convictions, commitments: Mufti

Jammu, Feb 10: Reiterating resolve of his party to change fate of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, former Chief Minister and patron of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said that formation of PDP in the year 1999 was an historical event in the political history of Jammu and Kashmir because this party has changed political discourse of the state through its policies and programmes.

Addressing a function to welcome large number of people from different sections of the society who joined the party, Mr Sayeed said that PDP has not only emerged as an alternative of National Conference (NC) in the state but this party has also earned credibility of people through its convictions and commitments.

“Our politics is not just for attaining power. Aim of our party is to establish a system where every sections of the society get justice and every citizen gets equal opportunity for growth and progress”, he said and reminded the gathering that PDP-Congress regime had carved out a path of equitable and balanced development in the state. “PDP-Congress regime had also laid a strong foundation of mutual trust and confidence among all regions and sub-regions of the state”, he said.  

Highlighting achievements of his party in restoring peace in the state, the former Chief Minister said that by facilitating the peace and confidence building initiatives PDP has positively transformed the situation not only in Jammu and Kashmir but in the whole sub-continent also.

 “It was only due to visionary policies of PDP that peace started growing manifold and the resolution of the problem seemed reachable,", he said and threw light on the programmes and policies of the party especially on the Self Rule document of the party which aimed at addressing all aspects of the Kashmir issue.

Although we had just 16 members in the Assembly, our party had convinced successive governments at Delhi to take some bold Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) to restore lasting peace in this region”. He recalled that PDP had entered into alliance with Congress by formulating a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) in which wishes of all people were incorporated and pro-peace agenda was given first priority.

He reminded that gathering that PDP has pioneered a political and economic agenda to establish sustainable peace in the sub-continent and to fulfill wishes and aspirations of all regions and sub-regions of the State.

Mr Sayeed said that PDP-Congress regime had not only restored peace in the state but also created conducive atmosphere for accelerating developmental activities in the State. “All regions and sub-regions were given equal treatment during that period”, he said and added that a path of equitable development was carved out at that time.

He reminded that it was during PDP-Congress regime that recruitment process was institutionalized by bringing transparency and accountability in the entire recruitment process.

Calling upon the new entrants to spread message of the party, he said, "the process of the State's political and economic transformation started by the PDP has to be taken to the logical conclusion with the peaceful and amicable settlement of the Kashmir issue. He asserted that the party would aggressively pursue its agenda of ensuring dignified peace and sustainable economic prosperity for the people in all the regions and sub-regions of the State.

Bhupinder Singh Charak, an eminent industrialist along with his supporters, Mufti Sayed Fareed Shan from Bhalesa, Bhaderwal along with hundreds of his supporters, Parshotam Kumar Gupta, Ajoot Singh, Surjeet Singh Raja, Balwinder Singh Raja, Ashish Choudhary, Ankur Khali, Nitan Vohra, Sahil Bakshi, Ashish Sharma, Komal Bakshi, Rajat Choudhary, Suresh Kumar Bakshi, Vijay Kumar Raja, Ajay Gupta and others joined PDP.

Senior party leaders included Trilok Singh Bajwa, Thakur Balbir Singh, Ved Mahajan, Asgar Ali, R K Bali, Rajinder Manhas, Ch Hussain Ali Wafa, Jagdish Singh Jagga, Mujib Ali, Kuldeep Sharma, Avtar Singh Khalsa, Suresh Sharma, Ramesh Koul, Puneet Jamwal, Surinder Sharma, Dhani Ram, Dev Dutt, Balbeer Singh and other leaders of PDP also spoke on the occasion.