PDP’s 18 years long journey

The eighteen years of long journey of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party(PDP) shows that party top brass after raising the expectations of people to sky rocketing height has failed to imbibe sense of security among people before making huge compromises on the party’s core political agenda comprising self rule, demilitarization, introduction of joint currency and abrogation of draconian law particularly Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). All went PDP’s way from 2002 until 2014 assembly elections when the party emerged as single largest party and for the first time in the post independent history of Jammu & Kashmir reduced once unchallengeable mass based National Conference to just 15 seats in the 87 member assembly. However one single wrong decision of the party patron late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on alliance with BJP has shaken the party at the grass roots in Kashmir and the “Agenda of Alliance” scripted with BJP for running the affairs of Jammu & Kashmir government is proving just another slogan but not an agenda for peace, political stabilization and socio-economic transformation. Ironically the mishandling of the situation that developed in aftermath of the killing of top Hizb Commander Burhan Wani on July 8 last year resulted in the killing of over one hundred civilian and an atmosphere of insecurity prevailing in the state has pushed Kashmir valley into never ending turbulent phase of violence. Despite repeated attempts for a political outreach by some Delhi based credible civil society groups the BJP commanding and controlling the government centre and sharing power with PDP in the state has bluntly refuse to endorse any political initiative from any non political groups for addressing the core concerns of public anger in Kashmir. Carrying out a new pro active policy on Kashmir the central government commanded and controlled by BJP has taken the route to excessive militarization and rubbished all demands of dialogue and political reconciliation with the main stake holders particularly the resistance leadership in the state.

Forget about the self rule and AFSPA revocation for implementation the agenda of political dignity and restoration of peace the PDP has now become the sponsor of BJP’s policy of political subjugation and excessive militarization in Jammu & Kashmir.

Now the central government is not only carrying forward its policy of excessive militarization but takes all initiatives to subjugate the resistance leadership as is obvious from the much hyped investigation on charges of illegal funding initiated by the National Investigative Agency (NIA) against seven top resistance leaders. So PDP from the agenda of self rule, dialogue, political reconciliation and demilitarization has shifted to the agenda of political hostility, remilitarization and abrogation of several state laws for enforcement of highly objectionable central laws in the state. So forget about the self rule and AFSPA revocation for implementation the agenda of political dignity and restoration of peace the PDP has now become the sponsor of BJP’s policy of political subjugation and excessive militarization in Jammu & Kashmir.