With its president Mehbooba Mufti behind bars, the Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday observed the 21st foundation day of the party, wherein the leaders described August 5 as “a black day”.
“August 5 marks a black day in the constitutional history of J&K, when the solemn commitments made by the Parliament and the Constitution were annulled for a majoritarian goal of bulldozing the country into one saffron colour. We reiterate to fight for the restoration of honour and dignity of people of J&K,” a joint statement of the PDP leaders said.
Remembering the party founder Mufti Muhammad Sayeed on the occasion, the PDP leaders said the idea to float the party was to bring J&K out of the morass of uncertainty, violence and lawlessness. “Our founding principle is that Kashmir, a bone of contention between India and Pakistan, should be converted into a bridge of understanding,” the statement said.
ADVERTISEMENT
“J&K is at the cusp of making a choice that determines the future and safety of our future generations. All stakeholders need to rise to the occasion and in unison demand the rightful, rather than being boxed in small time demands and short gains. History may not be kind if we fail to rise to the occasion,” they added.
The PDP called for “the time-honoured mechanism of dialogue and engagement with all the stakeholders”. “Enforcing the peace of a graveyard and calling it normalcy is an illusion,” it added.