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| PDP to open cards after Presidential election | | |
JAMMU | JUNE 27
Both the Congress and the PDP have toughened their stands on the issue of demilitarization and repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Day in and day out PDP Patron and his main associates keep on harping on the need for cutting the strength of troops and for scrapping of AFSPA which is being countered by none other than the Defence Minister, AK Antony. During the last one week Antony has reiterated that the situation in Kashmir was not conducive for reduction of troops and repeal of AFSPA.
Despite these repeated utterances Mufti Mohd. Sayeed does not show any indication of having given in under the pressure of the centre. Sources close to him said that the Mufti does not bother about what Antony and Ghulam Nabi Azad say on the issues.He has left it to the UPA Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Taking advantage of known support of Sonia and Manmohan Singh for the continuation of the present political arrangement in Jammu and Kashmir Mufti has stated that certain initiatives were right at the moment for carrying the ongoing peace process and Kashmir resolution to their logical conclusion.
He has said that if the centre failed to heed his advice on reduction of troops and repeal, of AFSPA it will miss the bus which may result in the reversal of the peace process.
As the stand of the two sides continues to toughen the PDP will finalise its strategy soon after the Presidential election was over. Till then the PDP leadership may not take any drastic decision. And in order to exhibit that it is in favour of preserving its alliance with the Congress it has decided to support Pratibha Patil who has been field by the Congress-left combine as the candidate of the UPA.
PDP sources said that several PDP Ministers were opposed to any decision on the part of the party leadership to snap ties at present. It is in this context that Mufti does not want to escalate the level of groupism in the party which may result in a major split in case he announced withdrawal of the support to the Congress. The sources said that when the PDP leadership was left with no alternative but to quit the alliance it may give outside support to the Congress in order to scuttle the hunt of the National Conference leadership to have an alliance with the Congress.
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