"We freed the people": Mehbooba Mufti defends party's record ahead of Jammu and Kashmir elections

Srinagar: People's Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Mehbooba Mufti defended her party's contributions to Jammu and Kashmir, particularly South Kashmir, during a media briefing on Thursday. Mufti claimed the PDP has been crucial in addressing the region's challenges.
"The people of South Kashmir have understood what the PDP has done for them. The biggest difficulties of POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) and task forces were in South Kashmir. We freed the people from all of that," Mufti said.
She criticised other political parties for their lack of impact. The PDP Chief said, "The people understand that only the PDP can protect them from the BJP's attacks on our land and jobs." Mufti highlighted PDP's achievements, including establishing medical colleges and universities, and claimed that no other party has contributed as significantly.
Discussing the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, Mufti underlined that the PDP's past work and future promises are crucial. "Our challenge is to improve on our past work. We have opened colleges, universities, and introduced schemes like Rehbar-e-Taleem and Rehbar-e-Khel," she said.
Mufti also criticised the BJP's job promises. "BJP says 5 lakh youth will be given jobs, but they also claimed that 2 crore people would be given jobs nationwide every year. Even 1 crore out of 2 crore were not given jobs in the last 10 years. Lying requires no effort", she added.
Earlier on Sunday, Mufti had criticised the National Conference (NC), stating, "Without the PDP, the NC would still be operating in a dictatorial manner in Jammu and Kashmir."
"The public understands that the PDP established good governance in the state. Universities, colleges, and AIIMS were established by the PDP government", she added.
Mufti's comments come as political parties intensify their campaigns for the upcoming Assembly election. Polling will be held in three phases: September 18, September 25, and October 1, with vote counting scheduled for October 8. Both the National Conference and PDP have included the restoration of Article 370 in their election manifestos, while the BJP maintains that Article 370 is a thing of the past.