Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti, speaking on the sixth death anniversary of her father, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, on Friday appealed to people to join hands against the government move to “hand over land of Jammu and Kashmir to outsiders”.“It’s time to join hands. Whether it’s Kashmiris, Dogras, Bakerwals, Pahari or Gujjar, if they don’t wake up and unite now, the youths will have no land left to step, the way land summits are being held. We need to put up a fight and not to lose hope,” the former Chief Minister stated.Ms. Mufti was speaking outside the grave of her father in Anantnag’s Bijbehara. “We will continue with the struggle till they [Centre] do not return what was snatched from us along with interest. Besides, the Kashmir issue, which has left thousands dead and thousand widows, need to be addressed,” she said.PDP’s chargeThe PDP has accused the police and the local administration of stopping the party supporters from paying respect at the grave.“The J&K police are hounding my party workers who dared to offer ‘fatiha’ at his grave today. Outlawing and criminalising even a simple act of paying respect and tribute to one’s leader shows state administration’s deep paranoia and intolerance,” Ms. Mufti tweeted.Jammu and Kashmir’s regional parties, including the National Conference and the Peoples Conference, paid tributes to the late Sayeed on his death anniversary.“I shared a personal relationship with Mufti sahib and was fortunate to get an opportunity to work under him. I will fondly remember his compassionate mentorship and his desire to share his experiences with the younger generations. He was an inspiring figure and a great teacher. I personally learnt a lot from him. I pray his soul rests in eternal peace,” PC president Sajad Lone said.
