Srinagar, Sep 9: Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led union government of turning Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) as another proxy party in Jammu and Kashmir to divide votes in Kashmir.

Mufti’s accusations came a day after a clash between the AIP and PDP workers in Shopian.

Mufti alleged that there was an assault on her party candidate, Yawar Banday and it was orchestrated by workers of AIP, a party founded by Abdul Rahid Sheikh aka Engineer Rashid, who is currently in Tihar jail. Engineer Rashid won the Parliament election from Baramulla this year.

She said the PDP candidate Banday was left seriously injured, with multiple broken ribs, after being attacked by AIP workers in the Balpora area

Mufti expressed grave concern over the growing influence and financial backing of AIP, questioning how a party led by a jailed leader could muster the resources to field candidates across the region.

“A person in jail is contesting parliamentary elections, fine. But who is supporting this organization that allows them to field candidates everywhere? Where is the money coming from? Where are the funds coming from? And most importantly, where do they get the courage to engage in such hooliganism?,” Mufti asked.

“I want to tell the government if you are turning Engineer Rashid’s party into another proxy party because your other proxy parties have failed, and now you are helping Engineer Rashid’s party with funds and other resources, then tell us straight up that no other party should contest the elections,” she said.

She claimed that AIP’s rise is being supported by powerful forces and aimed at dividing the vote in Kashmir.

“If any PDP worker had committed such an act, our entire party would have been behind bars by now,” Mufti told reporters in south Kashmir. She warned that the rise of AIP represents an attempt to weaken the PDP and disrupt the political unity of the region.

Mufti’s comments came at a time when the first two phases of assembly elections have seen a whooping increase in the number of Independent candidates contesting the polls. Out of 330 candidates in the first two phases, 145 are Independents.

She alleged that many of these are covertly funded and supported by the BJP to weaken the PDP’s standing in the region, particularly targeting the party’s stance against the changes made to the region’s status on August 5, 2019.

Mufti also expressed frustration over the lack of action taken by the authorities after the attack on her party’s candidate, stating that no arrests had been made yet. She called for an immediate investigation and action against those responsible for the assault, warning Kashmiris to stay alert to the political maneuvering aimed at dividing the region’s electorate.

“You have parties like PDP, NC, Congress here, but all these other parties you see in the field, especially AIP, are being backed by powerful forces. Be aware, they want to harm the cause of Jammu and Kashmir,” she said.

UNI