Srinagar, June 30 (UNI) Peoples Conference Chairman Sajad Lone, Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) led by Hakeem Mohammad Yasin, and the Justice and Development Front (JDF) — a faction of Jamaat-e-Islami that contested last year’s Assembly polls —today joined hands to form a new political coalition named Peoples Alliance for Change (PAC).
The announcement of PAC formation was made by Lone during a press conference which was attended by the top leadership of the three parties.
MLA Lone described the new alliance as a “moral and political necessity to represent the real victims of the past three decades.”
“The move signals a decisive shift away from comfort of an elite political class toward a people-led movement rooted in justice, accountability, and dignity,” he said.
The MLA Lone’s laid emphasis on the systematic disempowerment of J&K’s people since the 1990s — culminating in the revocation of Articles 370 and 35-A on August 5, 2019.
“The most politically empowered state was reduced to a Union Territory,” he said. “And this act of disempowerment needs a political response that reflects the pain of the people, not the privilege of the elite.”
Lone declared that the current political order continues to reward those who once contributed to the suffering, while the actual victims remain voiceless. “There has been no closure to the decades of pain because those who inflicted it still rule. That must end. The real victims must now represent the pain they carry,” he asserted.
The Declaration for Change, jointly adopted by the three formations, outlines a comprehensive commitment to the restoration of Articles 370, 35-A, and full statehood — to be pursued through democratic and constitutional means. The alliance also calls for general amnesty for political prisoners and conflict-affected youth, the reintegration of the marginalized, and an end to exclusionary politics.
Lone highlighted the discriminatory nature of recent recruitment drives, stating that “up to ninety percent of new government job appointments have gone to the Jammu region,” branding the reservation system as “systematically biased against Kashmiris.” He criticized the silence of traditional political parties, accusing them of enabling injustice through inaction.
JDF President Shameem Ahmad Thoker remarked that when it comes to Sajad Lone and himself, there is absolute unanimity between their parties on a fundamental truth.
“Those who have inflicted pain cannot claim to represent it,” he said. “Pain is an intensely personal and often excruciating experience — one that cannot be understood or healed by those who have never borne it. It is not a commodity to be traded in the marketplace; it is something one must live through to truly comprehend.”
He added that the most profound bond between them lies in their shared past. “His late father, and the leaders we continue to remember with immense respect and reverence — perhaps even they shared many common values,” he said.
Jamaat-backed JDF candidates had contested about 10 seats as Independents but failed to win any seat.
PDF Chairman Hakeem Yaseen asserted that the PAC stands firmly on the foundation of transparency and an unwavering commitment to restoring the dignity of the people.
“Our resolve is clear — we will not indulge in double-speak, saying one thing in Kashmir, another in Jammu, and something entirely different in New Delhi. This alliance is built on a unified, people-centric agenda, crafted through consensus and aimed particularly at the vast majority who have borne the brunt of decades of suffering. That chapter of pain must end — and it will,” he declared.
A former minister Yasin, had won the Khansahib Assembly seat in Budgam district twice as an Independent and lost to 2024 Assembly election to the National Conference (NC).
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