Opposition National Conference Working president and former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday accused the ruling PDP of being primarily responsible for the Centre’s “shockingly hawkish stand” on the situation in Kashmir at the conclusion of the All Party Meeting held in New Delhi.
Expressing shock and dismay at PDP MP Muzaffar Hussain Baig’s “perverse anti-Kashmir tirade and stereotypical Muslim-bashing” at the All Party Meet, Omar said it was Mehbooba Mufti who had set the tone for this narrative that aims to “vilify and defame the people of Kashmir”.
“PDP was the only political party from J&K that was present in the all-party meet — allegedly held on the Kashmir situation. It is therefore extremely disappointing that the party chose to ridicule and vilify the people of Kashmir and went to the extent of saying there should be no agitation by political parties against excessive use of force and pellet guns,” said Omar.
“Not only did PDP choose to tacitly support the use of excessive force in the Valley it also stooped to the extent of deriding those voices of empathy and solidarity at the national level that had been demanding the Central Government adopts a humane and political approach towards the situation”.
The NC Working president said it had become evident that PDP was reading from a political script to suit a “jingoistic, condescending narrative that stereotypes Muslims and also distorts the political issue in Kashmir as an alleged manifestation of radicalization and religious indoctrination”.
“Whose interests is PDP trying to serve by distorting the ground reality in KashmirIJ Towards what self-serving political goal does PDP want to insult and defame the people of KashmirIJ Given how PDP has provided the Central Government with an opportunity to advance an inherently anti-Kashmir narrative, it is not surprising that the All Party Meeting turned out to be a cruel, practical joke with the people of Kashmir. People expected the Prime Minister to go beyond the traditional BJP line of talking to the alienated youth of Kashmir through Pakistan – but that is exactly what the Prime Minister ended up doing,” said Omar.
“PDP should know that the political sentiment in Kashmir is neither about (nor influenced by) ISIS nor a ‘revival of the Khilafat movement’ – as alleged by PDP MP and Vice President, Muzaffar Baig in the All Party Meet. The spurt in local boys – most of whom are educated and from affluent backgrounds – joining militant ranks has nothing to do with neither ISIS nor the ‘revival of the Khilafat movement’. The root cause of growing alienation in Kashmir is New Delhi’s continued refusal to acknowledge that the issue in Kashmir is a political issue and its consequent refusal to engage with the people of Kashmir for a sustainable solution,” Omar said.
Abdullah expressed disappointment at how the Central Government had turned its focus on the tried, tested and failed formulations of looking at the issue in Kashmir through the prism of Pakistan and radicalization.
“The unrest in Kashmir is not because of Pakistan. While suggesting so might be politically expedient and convenient for the Central Government, it comes with the unimaginable risk of alienating the people of Kashmir to an irrevocable and irreparable limit. When that limit is breached, no amount of rhetoric or grandstanding will help. I’m dismayed that New Delhi has yet again refused to acknowledge the gravity of the already volatile situation in the Valley. This will add further fuel to the current unrest”, Omar added.