NC remembers autonomy when out of power: PDP

Srinagar, April 25

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hit out at the National Conference (NC) on Sunday, charging it with raking up the issue of restoration of autonomy only when the party was out of power.

“When out of power, NC leaders suddenly start talking about autonomy and friendship with Pakistan. When in power, they scream about bombing Pakistan and getting PoK back,” said PDP general secretary Mohammad Sartaj Madni in a statement issued on Sunday.

“Not to go far in history, even between 2009 and 2014, when the NC was in power as a constituent of the UPA, the party never raised the issue of autonomy either with the centre or in the state assembly,” he said.

The comments were made a day after the NC, in its central working committee meeting, described restoration of autonomy as the core of the party’s political agenda.

Madni said as the NC was out of power, party leaders had again started raising slogans of autonomy during ‘rainy days’ to fool the people.

“This kind of deceitful politics of the NC has now become outdated and hard to sell with the emancipated people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Madni said.

“History is witness to the fact that instead of working sincerely for restoration of autonomy, NC leaders had, time and again, traded Jammu and Kashmir’s political and economic interests for power,” he said.

“Right from Indira-Sheikh Accord of 1974 through Rajiv-Farooq treaty to Omar-Rahul pact, the NC has bartered not only the state’s political and economic interests, but its natural and water resources as well for power,” he stated. — TNS