PDP to stage August 5 protests seeking Article 370 restoration; BJP accuses Mehbooba of following Pakistan's agenda

People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday announced that the party will stage peaceful protests at all district headquarters across Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, seeking the restoration of Article 370, as she unveiled the party's political roadmap ahead of its 27th Foundation Day.

Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Mufti said the PDP would continue to pursue the restoration of Article 370 and the reinstatement of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir as part of what she described as the party's vision of "peace with dignity."

She said the party would also advocate dialogue among the regions of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh to bridge regional differences and strengthen mutual trust. Mufti called for the reopening of traditional routes connecting the two parts of Kashmir and urged the Centre to allow Kashmiri Pandits to undertake pilgrimages to the Sharda Peeth shrine across the Line of Control.

Among the party's key demands, she sought the release of all political detainees and undertrial prisoners, including those who have been granted bail but continue to remain in custody. She also called for Army personnel to be relocated to barracks from areas where militancy has been eliminated, arguing that civilian spaces should be restored in regions that have returned to normalcy.

On the economic front, the PDP chief demanded compensation for Jammu and Kashmir's power deficit, either through subsidised electricity or by transferring ownership of two central hydropower projects to the Union Territory. She also advocated granting separate divisional status to the Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal regions and reiterated the party's commitment to the rehabilitation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits.

Addressing the controversy surrounding her recent remarks at Jantar Mantar, Mufti said her statement had been misrepresented because of an inadvertent omission during her speech. She explained that she had been referring to the use of pellet guns in Kashmir and had accidentally omitted the word "bahana" (pretext), resulting in an incomplete statement.

"I have spent 30 years of my political career reaching out to people who were victims of Ikhwan and other forces. At a time when Farooq Abdullah had left the Valley and was defending AFSPA and other laws, I stood with the people," Mufti said.

She maintained that the viral video of her speech was authentic but argued that the omission of a single word had altered the meaning of her remarks. "If people have been hurt by my mistake or by the incomplete sentence, I apologise to those who have been left distraught," she said.

Reacting to Mufti's announcement, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rejected the demand for the restoration of Article 370, accusing the PDP of pursuing an agenda aligned with Pakistan. "The demand for the restoration of Article 370 is nothing but an attempt to revive a failed political narrative," BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur said.

"Mehbooba Mufti is working according to Pakistan's agenda and at its behest. Today, the biggest issue is Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), where, in the last 24 hours, more than 50 people have been killed and hundreds injured due to firing by the Pakistan Army. At Pakistan's direction, Mehbooba Mufti has once again started talking about Article 370 ahead of August 5 to divert attention from what is happening in PoJK.

"August 5 marks the complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India. It was a historic day. Article 370 has been buried forever and cannot be restored. No one in the world can bring it back. "At a time when the entire world, including the United Nations, is focused on Pakistan, she wants to shift the attention by raising the issue of Article 370. This reflects the ideology of Jamaat-e-Islami, Hafiz Saeed and Syed Salahuddin. She is carrying forward their agenda," Thakur alleged.