Srinagar, Dec 23 (UNI) Asserting that Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) isn’t Kashmir based party and has strong support in Jammu as well, former chief minister Omar Abdullah said that he understands the temptation of BJP to overplay their win in three seats in the valley.
However, he asked ‘why was BJP underplaying over 35-seat win of the alliance in Jammu province’. “I understand the temptation to over play the 3 seats the BJP has won in the valley but why underplay the 35 wins/leads of the @JKPAGD in Jammu province. We aren’t Kashmir based parties, we are political parties with strong support in both Kashmir AND Jammu,” Mr Abdullah, who is the Vice President of National Conference (NC), wrote on micro-blogging site twitter. NC is among six parties which constituted PAGD.
Mr Abdullah said that the BJP had made this election a prestige issue about Article 370 and J&K’s special status. “The people have now spoken and it’s for those who believe in democracy to pay heed to these voices,” he added.
He reiterated that PAGD is committed to use all democratic and legal weapons at their disposal to continue to fight for restoration of Article 370 and Article 35 A in J&K. “All of us in the @JKPAGD are deeply indebted & grateful to the people of J&K for your support at this critical juncture. We reaffirm our commitment to use all democratic & legal weapons at our disposal to continue to fight for our rights,” he said.
He further said that the PAGD is an alliance that emerged out of the betrayal of the people of J&K on August 5 2019, when the Centre abrogated Article 35 A and Article 370, besides divided the erstwhile state of J&K into two Union Territories. “We have faced every obstacle – illegal detentions, agency threats and pressures, our candidates were locked up to stop them campaigning and from all this we are emerging victorious,” he said.
