SRINAGAR, Sept 8: Former Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah today criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its failure to curb militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that under the current Government, militancy has resurfaced in the Jammu region and the graph is on rise.
While addressing a campaign rally in South Kashmir’s Shopian area, Omar responded to Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent remarks in Jammu, where Shah suggested that militancy in Jammu and Kashmir would increase if the Congress and NC came to power.
“I heard the Home Minister say that if Congress and the NC form a Government, militancy will rise. I want to remind him to look at the six years of my Government and compare it with the last five years under the current Government,” he said, adding the graph of militancy has been on the rise for the last five years, and the current Government has given militancy a fresh start in Jammu.
The former Chief Minister also accused the current Government of failing to address militancy, particularly in regions like Kathua, Jammu, Samba, Rajouri, Poonch, Udhampur and Doda. “If anyone has failed to fight militancy, it is this Government. The upcoming NC-Congress Government will give us a new start,” he said.
Omar emphasized that the NC has made significant sacrifices in the fight against militancy. “I feel sorry when the Prime Minister and Home Minister speak like this. Political disagreements are understandable, but distorting reality is not,” he said.
Referring to the sacrifices made by the NC, the former CM asked: “How many workers, seniors, Ministers, MLAs and MLCs of the NC have been killed? Do I need to remind the Home Minister of this?”
When asked about the return of Article 370, Omar said: “It was taken from us due to a Supreme Court ruling. Previous decisions in favour of Article 370 were overturned. We are not claiming this will happen overnight, but we will continue to fight for it-just as the BJP kept its cause alive for 20-25 years,” he said.
Meanwhile, the sons of former Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) vice president, Omar Abdullah -Zamir Abdullah and Zahir Abdullah- campaigned for their father today in the Ganderbal Assembly segment, asserting that the NC represents the voice of Jammu and Kashmir.
Since the announcement of the Assembly election dates, both sons have been actively involved in election campaigns and party meetings with their father.
Today marked their first public address at a rally in Ganderbal, where their father’s influence was evident. “Our water, orchards, land, sand, mountains and all other resources have been taken away from us. Contracts are being awarded to outsiders and jobs that should be given to our youth are going to outsiders. Even the officers are from outside. Is this progress? Jammu and Kashmir does not benefit from this,” Zahir Abdullah, Omar’s younger son said at the party rally.
“If the land, mountains, water and electricity belong to us, we should have rights over them, not outsiders,” he added.
Zahir also expressed concerns over the apple industry, saying; “Around 50 percent of the people here are involved in the apple cultivation. Previously, about 80 percent of apples came from Kashmir. However, the Central Government’s decision to import apples from countries like Iran and Afghanistan, coupled with negligible import duties, has driven prices to their lowest levels.”
The elder son, Zamir Abdullah, said if anyone can fight for the people of Kashmir, it is Omar Abdullah. “The Central Government’s actions, including fielding a jailed candidate in Beerwah, reflect this. During the Lok Sabha elections, Omar lost to a jailed candidate, but we did not question it at the time. This time, we devised a plan. My brother and I, along with Farooq Adbullah, went to Beerwah. Within minutes of our arrival, the jailed candidate’s daughter also arrived to file nomination papers. I called my father, who was waiting in Budgam, and that is how we outsmarted the Centre,” he said.