Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday sought the intervention of Union home minister Amit Shah alleging that People’s Conference (PC) top leadership was harassing and issuing threats to its leader Yasir Reshi.
PDP leaders Iltija Mufti, Yasir Reshi and Waheed Para addressed a press conference in Srinagar and also took to social media with allegations that PC’s top leadership was making menacing phone calls to Reshi in which they claim to have the support of central agencies like Enforcement Directorate & National investigation Agency. Iltija claimed that PC was feeling frustrated due to the emergence of leaders from north Kashmir
“People Conference’s top leadership has started issuing grave threats to PDPs Yasir Reshi. In these menacing phone calls he claims to have the support of ED & NIA - agencies both under Home Minister. Shri @AmitShah your name is being used to intimidate & browbeat people in our party. Please intervene if this isn’t being done at the behest of MHA,” iltija said.
“For those who indulging in these misadventures best to back off or else be prepared for the consequences of your petty intimidation,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}“For those who indulging in these misadventures best to back off or else be prepared for the consequences of your petty intimidation,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}Iltija alleged that the PC leadership started threatening PDP leaders since 2019. “We saw how PC extracted people from PDP.Yasir Reshi and Khurshid Alam were among those leaders who have now returned to PDP,” she alleged.
Iltija, while citing some call recordings, alleged that PC president Sajad Lone was claiming to have support of Delhi, MHA and ED.
Former MLC from north Kashmir, Yasir Reshi, while writing to his party chief Mehbooba Mufti, alleged that PC held meetings to chart out a plan to pressurise and threaten him.
“Information has reached me through JKPC spokesperson Ishfaq Gilkar, on record that certain individuals in mainstream politics are actively working to threaten, pressure, and harass me, simply because I dared to speak up against them. The JKPC spokesperson claimed that meetings with NIA, IB, CBI and other agencies have been recently held at the residence of Sajad Gani Lone, in the presence of Sheikh Imran, to chart out a plan to pressurise and threaten me,” he said.
“If even a fraction of this is true, then Madam, it is a question every one of us in the PDP and in Kashmiri politics must confront: are our central agencies now taking direction from such individuals with personal scores to settle, rather than the law? Can these political opportunists really dictate who gets threatened, who gets arrested, and who gets let off?,” he said.
Reshi requested Mehbooba Mufti to raise this with the Government of India and seek clarification.
People’s Conference leader Sheikh Imran, in response, urged Reshi to provide proof for his allegations or face criminal defamation charges. “So Yasir Reshi ji you are using the alleged remarks made by a third person to slander me. And you have levelled serious allegations. I will resign from public life and tender a public apology if even 1% of what you say is true. You have to substantiate your allegations or face libel action. I will give you 24 hours to apologise for slandering my name. If you don’t. I will file charges for criminal defamation,” Imran said.
Sajad Lone, however, did not respond to the allegations.