The first death anniversary of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) founder Mufti Muhammad Sayeed on Saturday saw the formal induction of his son Tassaduq Hussain into the party, while party president and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti pitched for political dialogue.
“We have to bring J&K out of the situational uncertainty and make it a bridge of faith and friendship between India and Pakistan,” said Ms. Mufti at a well-attended function in Srinagar.
Ms. Mufti, who paid floral tributes at the late Mufti’s graveyard at Bijbehara earlier, stressed that “political process and development have to be carried out simultaneously.” “One cannot wait for the other. Power has never been and would never be the sole objective of my struggle,” she added.
This was for the first time ever since Ms. Mufti shook hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last year that she underlined the urgency for a political dialogue. “Unless situational uncertainty is not addressed, development is not possible here,” she said.
Opening LoC routes
Ms. Mufti said she will pursue her father’s vision of “opening many routes across the Line of Control.”
“We are working for the implementation of the Agenda of Alliance,” she said. In an oblique reference to separatists, she said, “It’s very unfortunate our kids, who should have been in schools and sports fields, are being used for political gains.”
On the occasion, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed’s son Tassaduq Hussain, a cinematographer by profession, announced his decision to join the party formally.
“It often pains me to see the rising levels of pollution, ever-decreasing green cover and other issues in an ecologically fragile state. I want the common man and the VIPs to stand together,” said Mr. Hussain, who worked as cinematographer in Bollywood movies ‘ Kameenay ’ and ‘ Omkara ’.
His entry into the party increased the chances of him being fielded as a candidate for the upcoming by-polls for the Parliamentary seats of Anantnag and Srinagar.
Deputy chief minster Dr. Nirmal Singh described late Mufti’s “role as historic in the socio-political arena of the state and the country”.
“People should carry forward the legacy of the visionary leader and implement his vision for peace, dignity, development and prosperity of the state,” he said.
Meanwhile, National Conference (NC) working president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah said, “His (Mufti) untimely death last year left a void in the politics of the state.”
