PDP MP Tariq Hameed Karra tenders resignation to LS Speaker

Tariq Hameed Karra, founder member of Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP), on 23 September formally resigned from the Lok Sabha over the Parliament's "failure" to make "any tangible moves" to end violence in Kashmir.

Last week, he had quit the party and today he sent his resignation to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.

The PDP MP from Srinagar parliamentary constituency said he was forced to take the extreme step to register his "strong protest" against the unabated killings, grievous injuries and "repression and suppression" let loose on the people of Kashmir and the "failure of Parliament", Centre and Jammu and Kashmir governments "to find a way out of this painful situation".

"The prevailing situation in Kashmir is not only alarming but tragic as well. Every single day... The number of injured is out numbering hospital capacities and the number of arrested is out numbering the lock ups," he said

"For the first time in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, people of Kashmir were forced not to offer Eid prayers," he said in the letter in which he has asked the Lok Sabha Speaker to accept his resignation with effect from 15 September.

He said in the prevailing situations, "which is very critical", there is an urgency of responding to it beyond party politics.

"The present situation can't be allowed to dither any more as it could have dangerous consequences for the state and region," he said, adding "it has already threatened the gains of the peace process which were so painstakingly made earlier."

He said the need of the hour for the government to reinforce its resolve to work through peaceful means and through public participation towards restoration of peace.

"The views of the people of the state, cutting across the political divide, have to be respected and responded to for the permanent settlement of the issue instead of resorting to hegemonic mindset," he said.

He said in the prevailing situation, he has decided to stand by his people instead of continuing as a member of a forum "which is yet to make any tangible moves" to end the violence in Kashmir.

61-year-old Karra had announced his resignation on 16 September, blaming the PDP-BJP alliance for the current turmoil saying "the seeds of deceit, disillusionment and disenchantment were sown in the minds and hearts of people the day the PDP tied an alliance with the BJP ...It was an unnatural alliance."

A one time close confidant of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Karra, who had defeated National Conference president Farooq Abdullah in 2014 Lok Sabha polls by a margin of 40,000 votes, had also accused the PDP of "working on the RSS-agenda".

--PTI