Omar criticises cancellation of Foreign Secretary level talks
Two influential political parties in Jammu & Kashmir — ruling National Conference (NC) and Opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP)—on Saturday said that the voices emanating from the troubled State favouring friendship between India and Pakistan cannot be dubbed as “anti-national”.
While wrapping up the last Assembly Session of legislature, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who also heads the ruling NC, expressed shock that a television anchor described the resolution passed by the legislature seeking restart of dialogue between India and Pakistan as anti-national.
He said that any anchor who has no experience of putting his life to risk just like the public representatives of Jammu and Kashmir to strengthen the Country and safeguard the State, ought not to pass judgement in a TV studio on the credentials of the elected representatives of the people who have taken oath for the country and gave sacrifices for it.
Abdullah criticised the cancellation of Foreign Secretary level talks with Pakistan on the ground of separatists’ tea party with the Pakistan High Commissioner. He said such tea parties used to take place in the past from the time of Prime Minister Narsimha Rao but dialogue process between India and Pakistan was not stopped on this ground.
He said the process of dialogue was restarted even after militant attacks on Parliament and Mumbai despite the fact that the conditions put forth by India were not fulfilled by Pakistan. “The dialogue is only way forward to address issues”, he said.
Speaking on the same issue in the Assembly lounge, PDP president and MP Mehbooba Mufti said that Kashmir is being used as a turf-war between India and Pakistan but the people of J&K would not allow it to happen.
“It is unfortunate that people are dying along the borders but if we talk about a dialogue process, we are being dubbed as anti-nationals,” Mehbooba said.
She said that today the situation in the State is similar to what it was before 2002. “Whosoever talks with separatists is being labelled as anti-national. Hardline stance on Pakistan has returned”, she said.
Mehbooba said that NC-Congress coalition’s failures on governance have led to the emergence of BJP in some pockets of Jammu. “The BJP is raising all issues on which polarisation can take place but it is due to the failures of NC-Congress Government that BJP is becoming stronger at some places”, she said.
“The BJP has a communal agenda. They talk about the abrogation of Article 370. They are trying to raise the issue of Ram Mandir again and are talking about uniform civil code,” Mebooba said. “We will take on the BJP challenge and stop it from dividing the State on communal lines” she said.
Omar Abdullah in his speech referred to BJP’s activism but chose not to name the outfit. “A political party wants to take advantage of poll boycott just for petty party gains. A conspiracy is being hatched to hoodwink electorate by utilising the impact of poll boycott in some areas and by dividing the people in different areas”, he said.
“They should fight the Election on principals and ideologies and accept the people’s decision”, he said referring to year 2008 when the State was divided on communal and regional lines over the infamous Amarnath land row.
“The damage caused by it (land row) has not till date been repaired fully”, he said.
