People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said the ruling National Conference has failed to fulfil its promises and is resorting to hollow slogans.
"It is unfortunate that the NC leadership after having failed in fulfilling all their promises of good governance and development have reverted to their old tactics of raising hollow slogans, which have lost meaning in the changed context," she said while addressing party workers' conventions at Pampore and Rajpora.
Mehbooba said the PDP has a pragmatic and positive agenda for resolution of the external and internal dimensions of the Kashmir issue, some features of which in fact are already under implementation.
"We stand for opening of all the traditional routes to end the siege of the state and have an outstanding performance to our credit on this important front. We never asked for votes on the promise of opening 'the Rawalpandi road' but actually facilitated it before the world even knew about it," she said.
Mehbooba said it was ironical that the nearest place where Geelani sahib (hardline Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah) can offer prayers is New Delhi but the local government talks of resolving the Kashmir issue.
"Hundreds of youths are killed in shooting on the streets without even a single case being investigated much less punished but fiery speeches are made on the issue of AFSPA. Why can't this government set an example by setting its own house in order? But everybody knows that the government that could not withdraw fake cases against thousands of youths can do little on more serious issues," said Mehbooba.
{{/usCountry}}"Hundreds of youths are killed in shooting on the streets without even a single case being investigated much less punished but fiery speeches are made on the issue of AFSPA. Why can't this government set an example by setting its own house in order? But everybody knows that the government that could not withdraw fake cases against thousands of youths can do little on more serious issues," said Mehbooba.
{{/usCountry}}She added that her party values public endorsement of its agenda and its performance when it ruled the state. "The party hopes that 2014 would provide it with an opportunity to pick up threads again from where it had left during the previous coalition," she said.
Mehbooba claimed that the three years of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's rule have become a reference point for good governance and relief provided to the people.
"The party would strive for higher objectives if given a chance with a stronger mandate. The people of the state have time and again given overwhelming support and huge majority to the NC, which only let them down with disastrous fallout," she said.
The performance of the PDP, she claimed, has provided an opportunity to the people to realise how even a brief tenure by another party and its leadership could actually transform the entire environment from despair to hope and bring positive change in every body's life.