Jammu And Kashmir News: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti said on Thursday that her party is the only party that can fight the onslaught of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on several issues related to the Union Territory, including identity, resources, and jobs.

She said that when PDP was in power in the J&K, it took the people of the Union Territory, especially south Kashmir, out of the difficult times when the region witnessed the worst impact of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) and Special Task Force (STF).

While speaking to reporters in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, Mufti said, “For us, the challenge is the work done by the party in our previous tenure, for the development of J-K, especially in south Kashmir. Can we do better than that? That is our challenge”. “The PDP represents the sentiments of the people of J-K, talks about them. The PDP is the only party that can fight the BJP’s onslaught on our identity, land, and jobs,” she stated.

In response to a query pertaining to the release of MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, from Tihar jail on interim bail, she said, “We hope the rest of our youth, poor people who are in jails, are also released.” On being questioned about Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s promise of providing five lakh jobs if the party is elected to power in Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti said there was no comparison to the lies peddled by the saffron party.

“They had said they would provide two crore jobs every year, but they have not even provided one crore jobs in the last 10 years. They do not have any compunction about telling lies,” she said. Mufti’s remarks come at a time when Jammu and Kashmir braces itself for the first Assembly polls after the scrapping of Article 370 in 2019. Polls are set to be held in the 90-member J&K Assembly after a decade on September 18, September 25, and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 8.