Hours after National Conference legislator Showkat Hussain Ganai triggered a fresh controversy by labelling Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani a martyr in the upper house of the State legislature National Conference was forced to issue a clarification saying the views expressed by MlC in the legislative council were his personal views and not those of the party.
Participating in a debate in the legislative Council on Kashmir killings and the uprising triggered by July 8 killing of Wani, the National Conference MlC had claimed that Burhan Wani was a freedom fighter and that he had attained martyrdom while fighting for a cause.
“Kashmiris will continue to pick up guns and sacrifice their lives until the issue is resolved,” he said. Ganai had even held centre responsible for not resolving the issue of Kashmir. During the debate PDP lawmaker Firdous Tak had even sought clarification from Ganai to confirm whether his remarks represented his party or were his personal opinion.
Responding to Tak's query, Ganai had stated inside upper house, “I am fully aware about the place where I made the statement and I stand by each word I have said about Burhan Wani.” “Burhan was a freedom fighter, a martyr and this is thinking of people of Jammu and Kashmir, not mine alone.”
He added that everyone was aware that even Hizbul Mujahideen Chief Syed Salahuddin didn’t cross over to Pakistan to contest elections, but for the resolution of long-pending Kashmir issue.