Muhammad Suhail
Baramulla, Apr 23 : Former chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday accused chief minister Omar Abdullah led National Conference (NC) government of failing to deliver on pre-poll promises, including providing one lakh jobs to youth in Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a workers’ convention here at Dak Banglow Baramula, Mehbooba Mufti as per news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) said nearly two years after the NC came to power, unemployment had left the youth “victims of depression.”
“Instead of jobs, the National Conference’s promises have turned out to be false. Their claims are now open and visible on the ground,” she said.
Mehbooba Mufti claimed people had voted for the NC expecting protection of land rights, guidance on mosque-related issues, and resolution of electricity shortages.
Drawing a comparison with her father’s tenure, she said the late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed’s government in 2002 worked under difficult circumstances, including cross-border shelling, despite being in power for only six years.
“The National Conference was in power for 50 years in Jammu and Kashmir. The comparison is clear,” she said.
The PDP chief also raised the closure of the Uri-Muzaffarabad road, calling it a major setback for the region’s apple industry. The road, opened during the PDP’s tenure, she said, could have helped traders access Sopore — described by her as India’s biggest fruit mandi — and eased hostilities with Pakistan.
“Trucks carrying fruit remain stuck for up to 15 days during peak season due to highway closure. Our apples could reach different countries through this road. But it was closed on the grounds that drugs come from there. The chief Omar Abdullah minister meets Union Home Minister Amit Shah every day — cannot he raise the issue?” she asked.
Referring to last year’s terror attack in Pahalgam, PDP chief said several tourist locations, including in Baramulla and the upper reaches of Gulmarg, have been closed. “Places where people used to trek and labourers earned a living are now under a ban. The chief minister visits Gulmarg three times a week, but attention should also be paid to the poor,” she said.
The former chief minister stated that the PDP currently has only four MLAs in the Union Territory, making it difficult to press demands. “The Union Territory is in distress. People are suffering, but how much pressure can four MLAs bear?” she asked.
She also said the high voter turnout in recent elections reflected people’s hope for change. “But what can one do? The government is only showing failure at the ground level,” she added. (KNS)
