PDP expels 8 party leaders who met foreign envoys

The People's Democratic Party on Thursday expelled eight party leaders for going "against the will of the people" by engaging in parleys with the government.

"The PDP expels leaders for going against the will of the people," the party said in a press release posted on its official Twitter handle.

The leaders who have been expelled are Dilawar Mir, Rafi Ahmad Mir, Zaffar Iqbal, Abdul Majeed Padroo, Raja Manzoor Khan, Javaid Hussain Baig, Qamar Hussain and Abdul Rahim Rather -- all former MLAs.

"In view of the development post August 5 and the unilateral move of the government of India which has violated the will and hurt the sentiments of people, it has come to attention of the party that certain party leaders have been part of the parleys which go against the interests of the state, official position and core beliefs of the party," the release said.

It said the party disciplinary committee has recommended the expulsion of all these leaders from the basic membership of the party.

The expelled leaders have thrown their weight behind former PDP leader Syed Altaf Bukhari and were part of the delegation that met Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu On Tuesday.

They also met the visiting envoys from 15 countries, who arrived in Srinagar on Thursday on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir. This is the first visit by diplomats since August last year when Jammu and Kashmir's special status was revoked and it was downsized to a union territory.