Waheed’s arrest attempt by central agency to meddle in poll process: PDP

Srinagar, Nov 25 : In a strongly worded statement issued on Wednesday after the arrest of its leader Waheed Para, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said that ahead of the District Development Council (DDC) elections, which are supposed to give an opportunity to the new youth leadership in Jammu and Kashmir, “the government of India through its ruthless brigade has arrested Waheed Ur Rehman Para.” “PDP’s youth leader Waheed Para was supposed to contest the polls from his home constituency in Pulwama. He was arrested immediately after filing the nomination for the polls – a clear attempt by a central agency to meddle into the electoral process and influence it in favour of the cronies of New Delhi,” the statement said.
The statement said that the PDP leadership outrightly condemned New Delhi’s ruthless action against its youth leader who is a beacon of change in the society who has always upheld the values and principles of non-violence and democratic engagement.
“Waheed’s arrest signals the level of depravity to which the BJP and RSS can go to target and damage its political opponents. These actions of New Delhi will not deter the PDP. Our actions and our voices will become louder,” the statement said.
The statement further said that even after being placed under detention as well as house arrest for more than a year, Para’s belief in democracy and in the power of people’s mandate led him to file his nomination for the DDC elections.
“We are seeing in J&K how the BJP is constantly favouring and protecting its own candidates for the upcoming elections. A very important member of our party is being targeted for not only voicing his stand against the ills of the administration, but also having the sheer courage to contest the elections after repeated harassment at the hands of the state,” the statement said.