PAGD demands immediate release of political detainees, condemns arrests of workers

Kashmir: After emerging as the biggest alliance in District Development Council (DDC) election, the People’s Alliance for Gupkar declaration (PAGD) held an important meeting on Thursday (December 24) at Dr Farooq Abdullah’s residence and discussed the future course of action. The PAGD bagging 110 DDC seats now eye on maximum number councils in UT. 

Briefing the media, PAGD spokesman Sajad Lone said, “We met to extend gratitude to people who voted for us. To those who reposed faith in democracy. The onus lies on the administration to reciprocate and respect the mandate of the people.” 

Attacking the Government, Sajad said, “The government of the day is acting in a partisan manner. They are using everything directly or indirectly to woe independent winners. They should desist from that. The democracy should not be interfered with.”  

PAGD condemned the arrests of political workers and demanded imitate release of political detainees “The other new trend is preventive detention. It has been the most peaceful elections. Then what is the need of detaining leaders? We condemn these detentions. They should be released immediately,” Sajad Lone added. 

While addressing the media the former chief minister and PAGD president Dr Farooq Abdullah said, "We and the alliance are now one to fight back politically," adding “Our faith in each other is much stronger than it was earlier. The Gupkar Alliance stands together.”

He said that the government should not make people suffer “They should not make people suffer in these harsh winters provide electricity and other things.4G should be restored immediately.” 

The meeting was attended by Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdulla of the National Conference, senior PDP Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, Muzaffar Shah of Awami National Conference, Sajad Gani Lone of People’s Conference, and  Javed Mustafa Mir of Jammu Kashmir people’s movement, however, CPI (M) had extended his support to meet to the president but was not present in the meeting. 

After the election concluded peacefully and Gupkar alliance emerged as the biggest alliance bagging 110 seats and BJP is the biggest political party with 75 DDC seats both are making all efforts to influence the independent DDC members who are in good number and can decide the control of at-least control of 6 DDC councils out of 20. And if the numbers are calculated PAGD is having the clear edge in 6-8 councils while BJP can directly control 6 individually.