PAGD pays heavy price for NC leaders remaining silent

Afaq Bhat
Srinagar, Jan 19: Peoples Conference led by Sajad Gani Lone pulling out from Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) is a big jolt to the amalgam.
Developments which took place during the past few days were an indication that “All is not Well” within the conglomerate. National Conference leadership maintained complete silence over the allegations of proxy candidates fielded by its leaders in the recently held District Development Council (DDC) elections.
Senior PC leaders, Imran Ansari and Abdul Gani Vakil had raised the red flag accusing the NC of “backstabbing” their party by fielding the proxy candidates in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
An analyst while talking to Precious Kashmir said, “It’s surprising that the NC leaders, Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah didn’t make any attempt to clear the confusion and allowed the things to worsen. The PAGD vice-president Mehbooba Mufti had tried to clear the air but she didn’t get any support from Abdullahs.”
He said, “Had the NC top leadership intervened, the PC chief Sajad Lone would not have come under so much of pressure. He didn’t get any support from the NC leaders. He was left with no other option other than calling it quits.”
An observer said, “The Peoples Conference pulling out from the PAGD could prove to be the first step towards the alliance getting shattered. Now, the PAGD is only about the NC and Peoples Democratic Party other parties are too small to be counted. The PC pulling out will not have that much impact on the formation of the DDC boards but it can have bigger consequences whenever the assembly elections are held in Jammu and Kashmir.”
He said, “The recent developments indicate that even NC and PDP are not on the same page. The PAGD didn’t even meet once to discuss the results of the DDC polls. Mehbooba has turned silent and so have Abdullahs. Sajad Lone by saying goodbye to the alliance has sent a signal that the attempt of foes to forge unity was not a good idea.”
The observer said, “As the speculations about PC planning to pull out from the PAGD were rife, many people had suggested that top leaders should sit together and sort out their differences but no attempt was made to set the things right. It appeared that NC leaders were not interested in mending the fences. It has become explicitly clear that trust issues between the alliance partners have led to the PC pulling out from the alliance.”