Srinagar: Former J&K chief minister and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said that she will not raise any flag till the flag of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir is returned.
Mehbooba also said that the ruling party BJP at the centre is “trying to replace the constitution of the country with its party manifesto”.

Addressing a news conference at her Srinagar residence, Mehbooba, who was accompanied by party leaders Abdul Rehman Veeri, Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura and Suhail Bukhari told media persons that the BJP has “demolished the constitution of the country”.

She said the party has also “demolished the country’s constitution and has been implementing anti-people acts”.
” The current era of authoritarian rule will also not sustain forever. Hitler’s rule also culminated, ” she said.

Mehbooba said that anyone who raises his or her voice over the abrogation of Article 370 was being suppressed. “The fact is that the government has failed to come up with the expectations of people over development, employment and other mandatory issues and to divert the attention, the government is blocking minorities and also Kashmiris,” she said in her first press conference, 11 days after she was released from 14-month-long detention.

The PDO president said their fight “is not confined for the restoration of Article 370, but for the resolution of Kashmir issue as well”.
“Kashmir issue is an issue and nobody can turn their eye blind towards it,” she said.

Mehbooba added that “those who think we will forget Article 370 are living in fool’s paradise. People have given a lot of sacrifices and we won’t allow the sacrifices to go waste.”

She added that she will be the “first person among the leaders to give blood for this cause in case the need arises”.
“We are united and people should also fight it in unison. It is not the fight of Dr Farooq, Sajad Lone or any other leader. But of one and all,” she added.

Mehbooba alleged that everr since Article 370 was abrogated, the government “left no stone unturned to hurt the sentiments of people by taking all the anti-people decisions”.
“They don’t want people of Jammu and Kashmir. People of JK are expendable for them,” she added.

The former chief minister said that they are “not going to raise any other flag till the flag of Jammu and Kashmir is returned,” referring to the special status of erstwhile J&K state.

“The ruling party has already demolished the constitution as well as the flag as the party used the flag (tricolor) in a pro-rapists rally in Jammu. The flag of Jammu and Kashmir was the only reason behind the relation with the other flag,” she said.

Over her coalition with the BJP, Mehbooba said they “didn’t ally with BJP for power”.
” My father made a statement on 28 July 2014 wherein he stated that he wants to work for JK people. By forging an alliance with the BJP, my father tried to put jinn into the bottle. He knew a Tsunami is coming,” she added.

She also stated that it was “not the alliance with BJP that led to the abrogation of Article 370 as everything was done from the parliament”.
“It was the parliament that was misused. Parliament had no right to do this. We stood like a wall for Article 370. It was only because of releasing stone pelters, Jamaatis and returning the bodies of militants to their families we allied with BJP,” she said.(KNO)

Reader correspondent