Srinagar, Feb 22 (GNS): Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti was on Monday unanimously re-elected as the president of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for a period of three years.
Her name was proposed by senior leaders Mr G N L Hanjura and seconded by Khurshid Alam.
Mehbooba succeeded her father Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, who passed away in January 2016, and since then has been party president.
A party spokesman said that the members of the Electoral College from Kashmir and Jammu provinces voted to elect her.
The 3-year-term of Ms Mehbooba Mufti as the party president ended on October 31st last year but fresh elections couldn’t be held due to COVID 19 Pandemic and prevailing situation in J&K, the party said.
For smooth conduct of the elections, the party’s election board had appointed Surinder Choudhary as the returning officer for Jammu whereas Satpal Singh Carak was appointed as observer.
In Srinagar, the proceedings were conducted by Chairman election board A R Veeri.
Later Mehbooba Mufti assured the party cadre that she would take PDP’s agenda of “peace with dignity” forward no matter how hard the road to realizing this goal may be.
“PDP will work tirelessly to fulfill our shared vision of development, inclusiveness and reconciliation in J&K and never waiver from speaking up for the rights of people of Jammu and Kashmir,” she said.
Ms Mehbooba Mufti impressed upon the party cadre to rededicate themselves towards the party’s agenda and the people. She asked them to assume the role of ambassadors of peace and change.
“The road to peace in J&K paves through the mechanisms of dialogue and reconciliation only as envisioned by our late founder. The very ethos of PDP is about advocating and catalyzing peace, reconciliation, inclusiveness and development. And all this is not mere rhetoric but has been implemented in the short span that our party was at the helm. In these turbulent times PDP`s agenda is ever more relevant,” Mehbooba said.
Asserting that she would continue to lead the party in becoming the agent of change for dignity, peace and development, Mehbooba asked the Party cadre should focus on bridging the intra regional divide. She impressed upon the youth in particular to play their role as agents of change.
“PDP has a role to articulate the aspiration of the people of J&K across the geographic and regional divide. Our People look up to us for speaking up for them whether in matters of our political identity or matters of day to day life. This is what PDP was formed for and we must stay true to our ethos as a party,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ghulam Rasool Shaheen, Abdul Majeed Larwi and Afaq Ahmad (youth leader) from Ganderbal district congratulated Mehbooba for being re-elected. They hoped that she will take all steps for strengthening the party and give preference to educated youth. (GNS)
