Over one thousand NC workers join PDP in Kashmir

Srinagar, Mar 23 (UNI) More than 1,000 thousand workers, including office bearers of main opposition party National Conference (NC) joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today.

The workers, of central Kashmir district of Budgam, including NC Block President Sukhnag Sheikh Bashir Ahmad, had resigned from the NC.

They announced their decision to join the PDP at the residence of chairman Mufti Mohammad Sayeed here today.

Addressing the workers, Mr Sayeed welcomed them in the party.

Mr Sheikh said that PDP's policies for upliftment of Kashmiri people have motivated them to join this party.

Mr Sayeed had said that time is not faraway when Srinagar-Muzzaffarabad road will become a lifeline of trade for Jammu and Kashmir not remaining confined to a connecting link between the two parts.

Emphasising on character and honesty as the ingredients of a real politician, Mr Sayeed said his party does not believe in exploitative politics which has led the state of Jammu and Kashmir into a quagmire.

He said that coalition governance in Jammu and Kashmir has been a success and the state government must assume its full role in revitalising and pushing forward the sagging peace process to rebuild people's confidence in it.

The PDP Patron said that his party has assumed a role to bring Kashmir out of socio-political and economic quagmire which has not only, affected their livelihood but kept them in a psychological trauma all along the turmoil.

Mr Sayeed said that the Coalition Government led the peace process from the front with a significant impact on the ground.

Asserting that PDP on its part would continue to perform the role that had been assigned to it by the people of the State, Mr Sayeed said, whether in or outside the Government, the party has been advocating peaceful resolution of the State's problems through a comprehensive dialogue and reconciliation process.

He said the party's demand for reduction of troops and revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is a part of the same process, and such measures are now assuming urgency in view of the fast-changing scenario where the civil society and democratic institutions have a greater field-play in consolidating the peace initiatives.

UNI BAS LS GC1643