Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti led several road shows in south Kashmir’s Bijbehara on Monday, terming the ongoing electoral process as a vital instrument to alleviate the suffocating grip of high-handedness engulfing Jammu and Kashmir at the present time. She was accompanied by party senior leader and Vice President Ab Rehman Veeri, Adv Tasaduq Hussain, Ab Aziz Shah, Ab Salam, Najmu Saqib and many others during her road shows. 
Stating that Bijbehara has been her home and she is moved by the immense support and affection from people at such a large scale, the PDP President said that the supreme issue for her party has been the resolution of the Kashmir issue, for which the people here have rendered immense sacrifices, with children orphaned and women widowed in large numbers. “We will reclaim Article 370 and whatever was snatched from us in August 2019, with interest. I am certain about it, but at the same time, we need to put up a collective democratic fight for the resolution of the Kashmir issue for lasting peace and tranquility,” she said.
Mehbooba underscored the pervasive climate of fear that has ensnared Jammu and Kashmir at present, lamenting the erosion of civil liberties even within the confines of one’s home. She also condemned the unwarranted stops and searches along the Anantnag-Srinagar highway, stating that the youth are being frisked, their mobile phones taken away, and they are being framed under fabricated charges.
The PDP President emphasized the urgent need to uplift the disenfranchised masses, shielding them from dispossession and restoring their rightful place.
Mehbooba also expressed serious concern over the encroachment upon ancestral lands of people, the exploitation of resources, and the alarming rise in unemployment and substance abuse among the youth.
She further condemned the unprecedented hikes in power tariffs despite Jammu and Kashmir producing the largest amount of electricity in the country, which is provided to other states at subsidized costs.
Mehbooba said that this election transcends mere political maneuvers; it symbolizes a fervent call to preserve identity and restore dignity to a populace besieged by adversity. “The love and affection that I see from Anantnag to the Peer Panchal region is encouraging. People understand that we need a voice who will stand up to the powers in Delhi and talk about issues confronting Kashmir, talk about atrocities that have been committed in 2019 – the way Article 370 was illegally, unconstitutionally snatched from us. We are going to stand up against that, and this decision is not acceptable to the People of Jammu and Kashmir. You will have to reverse it,” Mehbooba said.
The PDP President further implored the electorate to recognize the power inherent in their vote, affirming that her voice, fortified by the collective endorsement of the people, would stand as a bulwark against oppression. She said that democratic resistance is not an abstract concept but a tangible force for change, a catalyst for reclaiming agency in the face of systemic injustice.
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