PDP’s Waheed Para predicts surprise in Ganderbal, Kangan constituencies

Ganderbal, Sept 20: “I am observing a trend among the people in Ganderbal. Just like in 2002, the people of the Ganderbal and Kangan constituencies will give a surprise and both candidates (Bashir Ahmad Mir and Syed Jamaat Ali) from these regions will win,” People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Waheed Rehman Para said on Friday here.
While campaigning for Bashir Ahmad Mir from the Ganderbal constituency, Para said the people of Ganderbal and Kangan are likely to surprise the political landscape by electing both candidates from these regions.
Speaking to reporters here, he said the people of Ganderbal and Kangan have decided to elect a candidate who is accessible, stays with them and remains among them. We do not want someone who only comes to greet them after a long time and then moves on to another constituency, he said.
Para predicted that Bashir Mir will win from Ganderbal, while Sayeed Jamaat Ali will emerge victorious from Kangan. He expressed confidence that the people of Ganderbal, who brought about change through their votes in 2002, will bring about a similar change in the upcoming elections.
When asked about the recent campaign speech made by Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) chief Er Rashid’s son, in which he criticised the National Conference (NC) and PDP for contesting elections from their comfort zones and suggested that they should fight on the streets, Para said he sympathises with all prisoners in jails.
Everyone should be released and the PDP has played a key role in ending crackdowns and providing relief to the people, he said.
“If you look at the situation in Jammu & Kashmir—where there was the movement of filling jails, the dominance of the Ikhwanis and the task force of SOG, all while the National Conference had an absolute majority—at that time, figures like Maqbool Bhat and Afzal Guru were seen. Today, when there’s talk of providing relief to the people, the role of the PDP is clear in ending crackdowns, and it will continue to play this role in the future as well,” he added.
Waheed said any future political process or dialogue needed will be carried out by the PDP. He reiterated that their demand is that all prisoners should be released, and the Kashmiri youth who are imprisoned outside should be brought back.
When questioned about his stance on Jamaat-e-Islami, Para chose to remain non-committal, leaving the issue unresolved.
Meanwhile, Bashir Ahmad Mir expressed confidence in the growing support from the people of Ganderbal, assuring that his campaign is gaining momentum as election day approaches.