SRINAGAR: In a significant yet expected development, senior PDP leader and Lok Sabha member Tariq Hameed Karra on Thursday resigned from Parliament as well as the primary membership of the party, accusing chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and her government of facilitating “genocide of the Kashmiris perpetrated by the RSS-driven BJP”.
Mr Karra, who is a founder member of the PDP, also charged the party leadership with taking a U-turn on crucial issues concerning Kashmir and its people, turning a blind eye to “dangerous ground realities” and also giving a freehand to the Centre to kill, maim and jail the people of Kashmir and stifle their political voice.
He also charged the BJP and its government at the Centre of indulging in “religious ingression” in Jammu and Kashmir. Mr Karra, while addressing a press conference at his residence here, said, “My conscience can’t take it any longer. My heart is bleeding and my soul is crying for the people of my homeland.”
He added, “Hence taking a call of my conscience and as a mark of protest on moral ground against the brutal policies of the BJP at the Centre and the state government’s complete sell-out and surrender before them, I have decided to disassociate myself from the primary membership of the PDP and from the membership of the Parliament.”
Mr Karra was elected to Lok Sabha on the PDP ticket from the prestigious Srinagar constituency after defeating former chief minister and then ruling National Conference president Farooq Abdullah by a handsome margin of votes in the 2014 elections.
It is for the first time in J&K’s recent history that anyone has quit as member of Parliament following differences with the party leadership and government on issues.
Replying questions, Mr Karra alleged that Central and state governments are pursuing policies of “unabated genocide in the worst form of inhuman brutality” in Kashmir and continued to be in denial mode towards “dangerous ground realities”.
Later, PDP hit out at Karra saying he was the one who had advocated an alliance with the BJP, besides proposing the name of Mehbooba as the Chief Minister.
Restrictions hit life hard in valley
Attacks on civilians and restrictions imposed by authorities ensured disruption of normal life in Kashmir Valley for the 69th day on Thursday.
With one more youth succumbing to injuries in clashes last week, the toll during the ongoing unrest raises to 81. The separatists, who have been spearheading the agitation, have called for a strike till Friday.
They have been regularly issuing calenders of protests ever since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter on July 8. Authorities have also imposed restrictions on movement and assembly of people in all parts of the Valley, except the Civil Lines area of Srinagar city, a police official said. Security forces have been deployed in strength at vulnerable places in the Valley even as aerial surveillance using drones and helicopters continued, the official said.
Meanwhile, a youth named Rasiq Ahmed, who was critically injured during clashes between protesters and security forces on September 5 in Qazigund area, succumbed to his injuries on Thursday at a hospital here, a police official said.
