PDP not looking to form govt: Veeri

Srinagar, Aug 28: Newly-appointed Vice-President of PDP, Abdul Rehman Veeri, on Tuesday said his party was not looking to form government in the state.

Speaking with The Kashmir Monitor, Veeri said, “We were in the government, and, at present, we have no plans to form the government. Rumours are being spread from different quarters.”

He said the rumours about Muzaffar Ahmad Beigh becoming the Chief Minister in a possible PDP-BJP reunion were “baseless”.

“The rumours are being spread to score political points. There is no such proposal,” he said.

He said his party has been doing “everything possible” to defend the Article 35(A) in the Supreme Court.

“When we were in the government, we defended the Article 35 (A).We hired a senior advocate Fali Nariman to plead the case on behalf of the state,” he said.

Asked why Beigh was appointed at the last moment to defend the Article, he said they have been fighting the case since it was filed.

“It is totally wrong. There are some people spreading rumours just to gain points,” he said.

“I don’t think it would be abrogated. It is a sensitive issue. We will fight for it till the end.”

In a recent rejig, the PDP President, Mehbooba Mufti, appointed Veeri as the Vice-President and former minister and businessman Syed Altaf Bukhari as the Treasurer.

The Vice-President’s position had been vacant since the resignation of Sartaj Madni on July 23.

She also reconstituted the party’s political affairs committee.