Baramulla, Feb 18: The former chief minister and president People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said they are fighting for the restoration lost identity of Jammu and Kashmir and if the centre doesn’t want to give statehood back to J&K, they will not beg before them. 

Mehbooba said this while talking to reporters on the sidelines of a workers meeting in north Kashmir’s Baramulla distrcit.

The PDP chief said that when Jammu and Kashmir merged with India it merged like a crown and it was not like a common state like others.

“We want the restoration of rights and identity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and if they want to give statehood to Jammu and Kashmir or not, we will not beg before them,” she said.

Mehbooba said that the agenda of PDP is the peaceful resolution of Kashmir issue and with that to restore the lost identity of Jammu and Kashmir.

She also said that they have to fight for the rights and restoration of lost identity of Jammu and Kashmir that was snatched on August 05, 2019.

“We have to fight for these rights in a peaceful manner like the farmers have been doing in various parts of the country. We have to do the same to restore our lost identity,” Mehbooba said.

On being asked about property tax and domicile law, she said that all these laws have been brought to break the backbone of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

“The government is doing all this to make people of Jammu and Kashmir poor. This is conspiracy to bring in property tax and other taxes in Jammu and Kashmir,”  she said.

Mehbooba  said that by bringing in these laws they want to loot Jammu and Kashmir and want to divert the attention from the real issue of Kashmir.

She also said that if the government believes that everything is fine in Jammu and Kashmir they why do they need to bring in people and delegations from across the world to assess the ground situation here.

“To make these delegations realise that everything is normal in Kashmir, they removed bunkers at various places while more than 10 lakh security personnel are still there in the valley. They are misleading even these delegations and a select few people of made to talk with these delegations,” Mehbooba said.

While addressing the people,  Mehbooba Mufti Thursday termed the efforts of the Government of India to paint an “all is well “picture of the situation in Jammu & Kashmir in front of the foreign envoys as hogwash even as the people of state live in misery devoid and robbed of their constitutional rights.

Addressing the first party workers convention of district Baramulla after August 5, 2019, Mehbooba  said that the very efforts smack of ill intention when the government instead of trying to win hearts of minds of the people of the state, is seeking character certificate from the envoys of foreign nations through guided tours to misrepresent the situation on ground.

“Instead of winning the hearts and minds of the people of J&K, New Delhi puts all its efforts to woo foreign envoys and seek their certificate on the situation here. Whereas the fact of the matter is that having almost a million personnel on ground in J&K the government still feels insecure,” she said.

“No matter what they try to project in these guided tours, the world knows the reality of Kashmir. Where people have been robbed of their constitutional rights, voices muzzled and hundreds put in prisons without a rhyme or reason,” she added.

“Though they want to change the goal posts, restoration of the special constitutional position of J&K and resolution of the larger political issue through dialogue & reconciliation remain fundamental demands & desires of the people. No amount of coercion can change that,” Mehbooba said.

The PDP president arrived to a rousing welcome by party workers of the district. After addressing the convention, she also met several public delegations from Baramulla, Sopore, Sangrama, Tangmarg, Pattan & Uri who raised several issues and sought PDP president’s interventions to mitigate the problems faced by them. She gave patient hearing to the delegations and assured all possible help.

The convention was also addressed by Party’s Media head & Spokesperson Syed Suhail Bukhari, District President Jalal ud din shah, senior leader Ghulam Rasool Mir, constituency in charges Shabir Ahmad Mir and Advocate Mohammad Inayat, District Development Board Members Qurat ul Bashir and Razia Hassan