PAGD accuses Centre of choking space, making people suffer

SRINAGAR — People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) on Saturday accused the “Centre of choking even the breathing space of people of J&K, leaving them to suffer on every front” and said the situation is deteriorating fast in Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing a presser, PAGD spokesman M Y Tarigami said a threadbare discussion was held by the alliance on the present political scenario in J&K and participants expressed serious concern about the deteriorating situation in J&K.

“After the abrogation of Article 370, now other ways of survival are being gradually choked, constitutional liberties, freedom of speech is under assault while police stations and jails are being filled with innocent people,” said Tarigami, who was flanked by PAGD chief Dr Farooq Abdullah, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, ANC vice president Muzaffar Shah and others.

Tarigami added that it is high time for the people and the political parties of J&K to wake up and raise a collective and united voice against the “present onslaught of New Delhi on the people of J&K.” He also said that jails outside J&K have now no capacity, given the number of people of Kashmir lodged there.

Tarigami alleged, “Outside every police station, parents are waiting for their children to come out.” He also called the frequent visits of Union Ministers a “move to push people of Kashmir to the wall further.”

Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for stating that power and democracy were taken to the grassroots level in J&K, Tarigami said, “The Naya Kashmir document, decentralization has been prioritized and democracy was already at the grassroots level.”

He also accused the government of allowing the sale of liquor, beer and drugs freely. “If J&K is being converted into the Gujarat model, why the sale of liquor, beer and drugs is being allowed freely,” he said.

Regarding the voting rights to anyone with authorization of the Tehsildars, Tarigami said that giving voting rights is the prerogative of the Election Commission. “Why the government was issuing orders? On the next day of the order, the media is told that the order stands withdrawn. Isn’t this a mockery of democracy?”

Meanwhile, replying to a question, PAGD chief and senior NC leader Dr Farooq Abdullah questioned the government about the promise of 50,000 jobs. “Situation is getting worse as the number of unemployed youth is swelling. I visited Marwah, Dachan in Jammu region and found that a sub-district hospital has no doctor at all,” he said.