Amid curbs, NC, PDP attempt to take out marches

SRINAGAR: Early morning, the authorities on Saturday house arrested several senior leaders of Peoples Alliance of Gupkar Alliance on Saturday to prevent them holding protest against delimitation commission.
But amid the curbs, National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party politicians attempted to take out protest marches from their respective party headquarters against the delimitation commission draft.
The panel has proposed six more seats for Jammu and only one seat for Kashmir, drawing sharp criticism from political parties against it. Barring BJP, almost all major political parties have expressed resentment against the draft with PAGD and J&K Apni Party announcing separate protests against the move.
In command of National Conference’s former Speaker Mubarak Gul, Shameema Firdous alongside party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar and Salman Sagar assembled at Nawai Subah Srinagar and took out a march.
They tried to move towards Gupkar Road but were stopped by the police outside the party office.
“We wanted to take out a peaceful protest march against the Delimitation Commission’s draft proposals, but were stopped by the police. They did not even allow us to hold a sit-in,” Dar said.
The NC Spokesperson alleged the police dragged the party activists back to Nawa-i-Subah.
They raised slogans such as ‘Delimitation Commission-hai, hai,’ ‘Jis Kashmir Ko Khoon Say Seencha, Woh Kashmir Hamara Hai’.
The PDP leaders also staged a protest against the abrogation of Article 370 and Delimitation Commission. Led by Muhammad Yasin Bhat and Rouf Bhat, PDP workers assembled on Jehlum Bund and started the march which was waylaid by Police. In response to this, Bhat talking to reporters said that people should be allowed to breathe freely. “This muscle power won’t work and we will continue to raise our voice against the policies and measures which are anti-people in nature,” he said.
The protesting party leaders and workers alleged that under a well planned conspiracy the voice of people of Kashmir especially PAGD leaders are being stifled. They castigated the government for placing PAGD leaders especially Dr Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti Omar Abdullah under house arrest.
NC Mubarak Gul too rejected the delimitation proposal and condemned the detention of the three former chief ministers.
The trio have been put under house arrest to prevent their proposed protest against the delimitation commission at the high-security Gupkar Road in Srinagar. The entrance to the residences of the three leaders were blocked by the government forces to prevent them from coming out.
The Gupkar Alliance headed by Farooq Abdullah had announced a protest against the recently released delimitation commission draft proposal of allotment of assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Good morning & welcome to 2022. A new year with the same J&K police illegally locking people in their homes & an administration so terrified of normal democratic activity. Trucks parked outside our gates to scuttle the peaceful @JKPAGD sit-in protest. Some things never change,” Abdullah tweeted.
Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba in a tweet said “GOI trumpets scrapping Article 370 & dismembering J&K throughout the country but is deeply paranoid and intolerant when people of J&K want to protest against its disempowerment. For the umpteenth time, we’ve been placed under house arrest for trying to organise a peaceful protest.”
Earlier JKAP party had also attempted to stage a protest against the delimitation commission’s proposal but were stopped from moving ahead.

  Kashmir 370

Junaid Nabi Bazaz