PDP, People’s Conference Denied Permission for Party Programmes

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) administration denied permission to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to hold its youth convention on Sunday at the Gupkar residence of party president Mehbooba Mufti citing COVID-19 protocol.

Mufti accused the government of selectively imposing restrictions on such functions with other PDP leaders alleging that similar functions by other political parties are being allowed in the region, indicating a “bias”. 

In a statement carried by local news agencies, the J&K Police said that the PDP’s youth convention was disallowed in view of COVID-19 and “credible inputs of vehicle-bound IEDs aimed to target civilians and high-security installations”.

“The Gupkar Road houses high-security buildings of various organisations, security-sensitive establishments and intelligence agencies. Allowing a large number of vehicles to be parked in this high-security zone would have jeopardised the security in the area,” a police spokesperson was quoted as saying.

Dismissing reports of Mufti being under house arrest as false, the police said the administration had advised the PDP to apply for holding the convention in a more open area in view of COVID-19 and security reasons.

The PDP issued a video statement of Mufti speaking near the venue, full of empty chairs. “The reason they have turned you away from my door is that they are petrified of your voice and what it can achieve. You were prevented from reaching me today, but this makes us more determined to remain steadfast in our mission of peace with dignity,” she said. 

PDP senior leader Rouf Bhat termed the “high-handedness” of the government, which barred the party from holding a “peaceful youth convention”, “unfortunate”. He accused the government of allowing parties, including the National Conference (NC) and the Apni Party, to hold their respective meetings and youth programmes everyday. “We don’t have to bow down our heads before oppression. If we bow down, it will continue till eternity,” he said. 

The PDP was denied permission for their event at a time when both the Apni party and the NC were holding their programmes in the Valley. NC vice-president Omar Abdullah addressed scores of party workers in the presence of senior party leaders in Anantnag’s Dak Bungalow. The rally comes days after his week-long tour of the Chenab Valley, where the former chief minister addressed multiple gatherings. 

Like PDP, the J&K People’s Conference (PC) also termed the decision of the district administration of Kupwara for repeatedly denying permission to the party’s convention while allowing other parties to hold public gatherings as “partisan approach”.

“It is highly unfortunate that DC office, Kupwara, has denied permission to the Peoples Conference for organising a convention while selectively allowing the NC to hold a public gathering at the same venue. This selective and partisan approach while enforcing the COVID-19 protocols is deeply regrettable and must be avoided,” PC general secretary Imran Reza Ansari said. 

“I am in wonderment (sic). In the context of Omicron, DC Kupwara has no problems in allowing other parties to hold rallies. But what covid protocol has DC Kupwara hidden from the scientific community which warranted denial of holding rally by our party just a week back. Permission denied 3 times,” Ansari tweeted.

Local leaders had termed the ongoing outreach by the political parties in the region as a sign of revival of mainstream politics in Kashmir. After parties, including NC, Congress and PC, were able to hold rallies in several parts of the region, MY Tarigami of the CPI (M) had said that it is good that the parties are getting activated. 

However, the fresh restrictions on PDP and PC are a dampener on such hopes with many seeing it in the backdrop of administrative overreach, first called out by the parties in the aftermath of the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A. 

“Political rallies are going on across India and even in J&K they have picked up. But restrictions are imposed on @MehboobaMufti & @jkpdp. Why such special treatment @manojsinha_ ?,” Congress leader Salman Anees tweeted.