SRINAGAR: Alleging that ruling National Conference (NC) has exploited the people of Jammu and Kashmir for its political gains, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said now youth can script new destiny for themselves and the state.
“The youth of the state especially those living in Kashmir have been pushed to the wall and denied opportunities on political, social and economic fronts,” PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said at a youth convention at Khansahib in central Kashmir district of Badgam.
She said the siege around the state in the wake of independence denied them avenues of cultural interaction and they were left with the feeling of being bottle up in an atmosphere of suspicion, mistrust and suppression.
She said given the right vision, direction and leadership, youth of the state can script a new destiny for themselves and that is the centre piece of her party’s agenda.
Ms Mehbooba repeated that PDP started with just one seat in 1999, the PDP reached to 16 in 2002 and then 21 seats in 2008.
In 2008, the PDP got maximum vote share in the state, reducing the 100 year old party from more than 60 to 28 seats, inspite of boycott in Srinagar, which benefited NC immensely.
She said it was PDP’s agenda of excellent performance in the government that got it to its present position, she said, adding so keeping in view the PDP’s record in restoring the sense of security among people along with best form of governance provided by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the party is emerging as the best alternative for the state.
She said Kashmir has historically provided the leadership to the entire South Asia in knowledge and entrepreneurship and there is no reason why that status of the state cannot be revived.
