Expressing confidence that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will bounce back in a revitalised form on the state’s political scene, senior party leader and former minister Naeem Akhtar said that the party will continue to push for peace with dignity which is the focal point of its agenda.

Interacting with workers in Tangmarg constituency of Kashmir on Thursday, Akhtar said that the recent reverses in elections are a temporary setback and that the leadership has started working on a revival plan and the party cadre is being revitalised to carry on the party’s political campaign with renewed vigour.

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Akhtar stated further that the party has always held the need of dialogue and political approach as the only way out of the unending crises the state is facing for many decades and all mainstream parties are now veering around which was not the case before the emergence of PDP. “The mainstreaming of the political problems of Kashmir is the lasting contribution of PDP and it will continue to pursue it till durable peace is restored in the state and people start living a normal and peaceful life,” Akhtar said.

He added that the party believes that a structured dialogue must be initiated with Pakistan and other stakeholders to find a way out of the impasse that we are finding ourselves in.

According to the PDP leader, during the recently concluded election campaign, the country almost came to war with neighbouring Pakistan and the epicentre of this grave situation was unfortunately Kashmir. “This fact should remind everybody that strong-arm methods and non-political approach can only worsen things and not improve them. The state needs humane handling and promotion of genuine democratic process which cannot be achieved by inspired fragmentation of votes in a particular region of the state,” said Akhtar.

Senior PDP leader Abdul Qayoom Wani, party’s candidate for the assembly polls Shabir Ahmad Mir, and other senior leaders also spoke on the occasion and highlighted the need to revitalise the PDP cadre and make it a guiding force in Jammu and Kashmir to reckon with.