Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the founder of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), had a precondition for forming a government with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jammu and Kashmir in 2015. He wanted an assurance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Article 370 of the Constitution would not be removed.
Mehbooba Mufti, the current PDP president and daughter of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, made this claim while addressing a gathering on the 24th foundation day of the PDP. She said that her father was not power hungry and only wanted to deliver Jammu and Kashmir from its problems.
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had 28 seats in the 2014 Assembly polls, but he waited three months before forming a coalition government with the BJP. This was because he wanted to get an assurance from the BJP that Article 370 would not be touched.
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had a similar precondition in 2002, when he had only 16 MLAs. He told the Congress, which had 20 seats, that he would form the government only if talks were held with Pakistan and separatists.
Mehbooba Mufti said that her father did not believe in misleading people and firmly believed that Jammu and Kashmir’s future was with India. She cited his decision to accept the decision taken by Indira Gandhi in 1975 to bring Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah into the mainstream as an example of this.
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s first term as chief minister was marked by significant progress on both the reconciliation and development fronts. The Advani-Hurriyat talks were held, the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad Road was reopened, and development work got a fillip.
Mehbooba Mufti said that her father’s legacy would continue to inspire people in Jammu and Kashmir. She urged the people to work together to build a better future for the state.
