Suhail Khan
Baramulla, Sep 27: Waheed ur Reham Para, the youth leader and star campaigner of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), stated that the PDP will be a key player in the government formation in this assembly elections.
In an exclusive interview with Kashmir Despatch, Para said that every political party is fighting for survival in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370.
He said that this election is a process to stop the center from whatever they have snatched from us and also to reclaim whatever we have lost. Para stated that their efforts in this election are to ensure that the people of Kashmir get their own voice, and the atmosphere of fear and raids comes to an end, so that people can come out of their homes and reclaim their democratic rights.
He said that in the past five years, Kashmir has been in a vacuum, where our constitution, flag, and identity have been taken away, and there has been an attempt to remove Kashmiri Muslims from the system. He said that the election is a process to raise the voice for their rights.
The PDP youth leader said that the current important issues in Kashmir are the sufferings of the people, the incarceration of separatists, the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami, and the need for a political process to address the Kashmir issue. He said that the PDP has come to address these concerns, and the elections are just one part of the process.
He termed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s claim of “Peaceful Kashmir” as false and far from reality, and said that the use of agencies like UAPA, SIA, and NIA, and the imprisonment of people, cannot be considered as peace. He said that the current “peace” in Kashmir is due to the pressure and force, not through the participation of the people.
Reacting to the NC-Congress alliance, Waheed said that it was Omar Abdullah’s wish to keep the PDP away from the India alliance in Parliament and the Assembly, as he sees the PDP as his only competition. However, the PDP’s alliance is with the people, to understand their pain and raise their voice.
