Srinagar, Jan 09: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Thursday expelled its nine leaders for “violating party’s interest” by meeting envoys of 15 countries and Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu.
Several people including politicians, civil society groups, singers and activists met ambassadors of 15 countries including Bangladesh, United States, Vietnam, Norway, Maldives, South Korea, Morocco, Brazil and Nigeria on Thursday.
Apart from expelled leaders, Altaf Bukhari and Ghulam Hassan Mir, five former legislators of PDP including Noor Muhammad Sheikh, Javaid Beigh, Rafi Ahmad Mir, Majeed Paddar and Abdul Raheem Rather also met the envoys.
On Tuesday Dilawar Mir of PDP along with party members Zaffar Iqbal, Choudhary Qamar Hussain and Raja Manzoor Ahmad had accompanied their ex-colleagues Ghulam Hassan Mir and Altaf Bukhari to submit a memorandum to the Lieutenant Governor.
Taking strong note of the meeting, PDP immediately went into a huddle and expelled these leaders from basic membership claiming their activities were against the “interests” of people in general and party in particular.
“In the backdrop of what has happened post August 5, it has come to the notice that some of the party members have met visiting envoys. It is against the very spirit and interests of Jammu and Kashmir for which the party stands. These things were seen with great concern and disciplinary committee deliberated it and recommended stripping-off their basic membership,” said Suhail Bukhari, PDP spokesman.
Bukhari said the expelled members would include those leaders who on Tuesday met Lieutenant Governor to submit a memorandum. “This is something which should have been announced by our top leadership. Since they are under detention, I have been given a mandate to communicate it to the media,” he said.
Sources said the party was unhappy with these leaders and has been deliberating the course of action for the last two days.
“Finally today it was decided to expel them. All this has happened when the party is fighting for the rights of people,” they said.
The expelled leaders however were defiant saying they took the move for the “welfare of people.”
“In fact we talked about the release of political detainees. If asking for restoration of statehood, protection of land and job rights, revival of tourism is wrong then we are ready to bear any consequences,” said Dilawar Mir, who was a horticulture minister in PDP-Congress government earlier told The Kashmir Monitor.
