Dropping broad hints about continuance of its coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday said the party’s core group has authorised president Mehbooba Mufti to take the final call on government formation in Jammu and Kashmir.
“On government formation, the party feels that the agenda of alliance is a sacred document for us and there has been much progress on that under (Mufti Mohammed) Sayeed. The core group has authorised party president Mehbooba to take whatever decision on it (government formation),” said PDP leader Naeem Akhtar, after the five-hour meeting of the party’s core group.
Akhtar said the PDP has not set any condition for government formation with the BJP, but refused to set any deadline for it, too. “No conditions on part of the PDP,” he said. Asked how soon will the government be formed, he said “no timeline.” “The focus is on the agenda of alliance, which has been part of Mufti sahib’s vision,” he said.
Akhtar said the party leaders put forth their points of view at the meeting chaired by Mehbooba on how to carry forward the mission of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who died at AIIMS in New Delhi on January 7.
“The most important point in the vision of Mufti sahib was reconciliation between India and Pakistan,” he said.
Akhtar, a trusted aide of the late chief minister, said the party welcomed the Prime Minister’s Lahore visit last month and the maturity shown by the Centre in wake of the Pathankot attack.
“It was his (Sayeed’s) belief that India-Pakistan friendship is necessary for Kashmir as it has been a victim of hostilities between the two countries,” he said.
Meanwhile, National Conference (NC) chief Farooq Abdullah called for the dissolution of the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly and holding fresh elections.
Abdullah, retracting from his earlier statement that the National Conference would think over, if a proposal to form the government came from the BJP, said, “If they (PDP and BJP) cannot solve the problems of the people, the Assembly must be dissolved and new elections should be held.”
Asked to comment on his earlier statement that his party’s “doors were open” if BJP leadership approaches him to form the government in the state, Abdullah said: “I had never said that we are going with the BJP, it has to be made clear. I only said that the PDP should form the government with the BJP as they have the mandate. I only said that our party can discuss on anything in our working committee.”