Former Chief Minister and National Conference Working President Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said that Kashmir issue was a political issue and needed a political solution for heralding lasting peace in the state. “For arriving at a solution, New Delhi must open channels of dialogue with all the stakeholders”, Omar Abdullah said while addressing a huge public rally in Doda this afternoon.Making a pointed reference to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s claim that demonetisation had a positive impact on the Kashmir situation, Omar Abdullah said the youth did not die for Rs 500 or Rs 1000 notes. “Instead of continuing to invest in delusions and deflections, there is need to understand real issues so that a solution can be worked out”, he added.The Working President referred to the alarming Kashmir situation of the past over four months and said:“The issues involved are beyond economics or law and law and order and therefore New Delhi must take political initiatives for resolving these”. He expressed profound grief and sorrow over the deaths of young men and women in the unrest and said the contradictions and opportunism of the PDP-BJP alliance was at the root of turmoil in the Valley.
He said National Conference made a sincere and honest bid to put an end to peoples’ miseries and to defuse the situation by meeting the President, Prime Minister and Opposition leaders in New Delhi. “We did not politicise the situation like the PDP did by creating obstacles in smooth functioning of the government from 1999 to 2002 and between 2008 and 2014”, he said while referring to the stark contrast between Mehbooba Mufti of the Opposition and Mehbooba Mufti as leader of the PDP-BJP alliance.“Where has that posturing gone”, he asked, saying that Mehbooba Mufti would not miss an opportunity while in the opposition to exploit the pain and grief of the people. Now, he said, the Chief Minister is blaming one and all—the youth, the institutions, the socio-religious organisation—except for herself for the mess the state is in. He said an unprecedented situation is prevailing across the state with development coming to a grinding halt, utility services lying almost defunct and people suffering on account of ration, drinking water and power. National Conference Working President lamented that several projects launched during his tenure as Chief Minister were either abandoned or put on the back burner by the present dispensation for reasons best known to them.
Had the power projects like Ratle, Keeru, Kwar, Kalnai, Pakaldule, Sawlakote been allowed to come up, these would have not only changed the economic scenario of the Chenab Valley region but the entire state as well. He said the failure of the PDP-BJP combine to fulfill its promises had led to a political deficit that has been one of the contributing factors to chaos, turmoil and uncertainty.While giving an overview of the current political situation across the State, Omar Abdullah cautioned people against divisive politics being penetrated into the socio-political fabric of the pluralistic state and made a passionate appeal for isolating such elements by maintaining time tested unity, amity and tranquility. He said the PDP-BJP combine has reaped the dividends of polarisation and divisiveness and therefore they would continue to promote such a drift for furthering their political agenda.“In such a situation, National Conference has an added responsibility to keep the flag of inclusiveness aloft”, he said and urged the cadre to close their ranks and meet the situation with courage and fortitude.General Secretary Ali Mohammed Sagar, Additional General Secretary Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamal and former minister Khalid Najeeb Suharwardhy also addressed the public meeting.Besides Provincial President Devender Singh Rana, those present on the occasion included Th Kashmira Singh, Sheikh Abdul Rehman, Ajaz Jan, Dr Chaman Lal, Brij Boham Sharma, Jaffar-ud-Din, Sajjad Shaheen, Abid Magrey, Arif Mir, Syed Naved Hashmi and others. (KNS)