'PDP played key role in ensuring peace between India and Pak'

Katra (J&K), Apr 19: Maintaining that his party has played a key role in restoring peace in the region, PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said the foundation for strengthening ties between the two countries were laid during PDP rule in the state.

"Our party has played a historical role in restoring peace in the Indian sub-continent because the agenda of peace and reconciliation, which was pioneered and implemented by PDP, yielded encouraging results...," Mufti told a rally in Katra town the base-camp of Mata Vaishnodevi shrine today.

He said the PDP would continue to pursue its "visionary" agenda to change destiny of the people. "Although we had only 16 members but it was due to our convictions that we convinced successive regimes at Delhi to take some bold decisions to restore peace in this region especially to improve relations with Pakistan," he said.

The PDP patron was referring to the announcement made by then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in which he had extended his hand of friendship towards Pakistan.

"Tension was high on borders at that time but it was all due to the result of PDP's pro-peace agenda that the then Prime Minister had made such historic announcement...," he said.

It was PDP that had restored people faith democracy, he said and especially mentioned victory of party candidate Qazi Mohammed Afzal from Ganderbal assembly segment, which was once considered as a bastion of National Conference, in 2002.

"Unlike other parts of the country, people of Jammu and Kashmir, for decades together, were not allowed to get the taste of democracy because NC had never allowed democracy to flourished here," he said.

PTI