Differences within PAGD can lead to bigger crisis in future    

Afaq Bhat
Srinagar, Nov 30: Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD)—an amalgam of Kashmir based parties—is aiming high and is hopeful of winning the maximum number of seats in the ongoing District Development Council elections. However, the cracks that have appeared within the conglomerate can jeopardize the forward march of the alliance.
According to the political observers the PAGD constituents seem “unhappy” over the distribution of seats and are accusing the bigger parties, National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of calling the shots. “The PAGD has an upper hand in the Valley but the independent candidates, who were a part of the NC, PDP and other parties contesting these polls can turn the tide against the alliance,” an observer told Precious Kashmir.
He said, “During the past few days PDP president and PAGD vice-president Mehbooba Mufti has been doing all the talking while, National Conference leaders, including Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah have turned silent. They didn’t even come out for campaigning.”
The observer while referring to a recent press conference of the senior PDP leader, Ghulam Nabi Hanjura, said, “The PDP leader minced no words to claim that the NC has not acted fairly vis-à-vis seat distribution for the DDC polls.”
He said that Hanjura’s assertions have driven home a point that “all is not well” within the PAGD and this could lead to a “bigger crisis” in the near future. “We can’t predict who will win these DDC elections but one thing looks sure that if the alliance partners are unable to sort out their differences the PAGD could cripple before the next elections are held,” the observer claimed.
It’s in place to mention here that the voices within the PAGD are becoming shriller to contest the next elections individually.
An analyst said, “If the PAGD leaders are unable to keep their flock together during the ongoing DDC polls they will find it very hard to put up a real fight in any democratic exercise which will be held in the near future.”
He said, “Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will also be held after the delimitation exercise is completed. At that point of time Jammu and Kashmir will have equal number of assembly seats and if the Valley based parties fail to put up a collective fight they will find it hard to make a comeback. If these parties remain united they can emerge as a force to reckon with. These political formations need to sort out their differences forthwith otherwise they will lose the battle even before it begins.”