Mufti to Modi: React positively to Imran’s gesture of friendship

Stating that polls come and go, and pointing out that former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee had agreed to a ceasefire before 2004 General Election, Mufti said, “A big leader doesn’t think about elections — he thinks about the people.”

Saturday’s rally was to commemorate the party’s 19th foundation day, and was attended by more than 4,000 workers from different parts of the Valley. Barring the seven rebel legislators, all key PDP leaders attended the rally. Former Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu was also absent.

Mufti urged mainstream regional parties and the separatists to come together to defend Article 35A, which had been challenged in a batch of petitions before the Supreme Court.

“All parties — there are separatists, there is the National Conference…I would have asked the Congress as well, but it is a national party and it has national interests (that are) separate from the interest of Jammu and Kashmir. We have a challenge before us: Article 35(A),” she said. “Let’s keep aside our differences and join hands to defend Article 35(A).”

Terming her two-year term as chief minister as period akin to sitting on thorns, Mufti said the government would have lasted its full six-year year if she had “compromised”. Stating that she had not smiled once during her tenure as CM, Mufti compared taking oath as chief minister to “drinking a cup of poison”.
She said: “I was not ready to form the government — I took three months. (But) workers, legislators and senior leaders (of PDP) told me that it was the decision of Mufti-sahib (her father), and that ‘you have to drink this cup of poison’.”

Omar stresses need to uphold Article 35(A)

In Kolkata, former Jammu and Kashmir CM and opposition NC leader Omar Abdullah said the Centre needs to uphold Article 35(A). Speaking at the Think Federal Conclave, Omar said, “The agreement of accession under the Constitution does not deem all states equal. While it (J&K) is a part of the Union of India, it is with distinct character. But from 1953, this agreement has steadily eroded and the accession is a mere shadow of what it was conceived as. This is because the Centre has been unwilling to honour the agreement…” The present government, he said, “wants to reduce India to a single being with one thought, and one way of being”.