Accusing National Conference of disgracing its loyal and trusted comrades, erstwhile close confidant of Abdullah family and Congress candidate for Ganderbal Constituency Muhammad Yousuf Bhat Monday said that for sake of ‘power and position’, National Conference patron and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah turned Kashmir into hell and forced the youth to start arms struggle here.I was close confidant of Farooq Abdullah and after that I remained in constant touch with Omar Abdullah. I am witness to the fact as I was the chief campaigner for Farooq Abdullah in 1987 for Ganderbal, how he forced Returning Officer to declare him winner. Farooq Abdulla had lost 1987 elections and he was defeated by Muslim United Front candidate Abdul Khaliq Sofi by a big margin, but senior Abdullah used his power and influence and declared himself winner,” Bhat told CNS adding that Abdullah family cares a fig for the people of Kashmir and the only thing that matters for them is power and position.
“National Conference patron Dr Farooq Abdullah played a major role in rigging the 1987 elections and even the Hizb commander, Syed Salahuddin was tortured in a police station at his behest. Muslim United Front badly routed National Conference in 1987 elections but the coercive measures adopted by NC pushed the MUF members and supporters to wall,” he said adding that being the close confidant of Abdullah family he is witness to the fact, how MUF candidates were forced to accept defeat by Dr Farooq Abdullah led-NC regime.
Muhammad Yousuf Bhat who recently joined Congress party told CNS that soon after the 1987 elections, crackdown against the supporters of youth was launched on the directions of Farooq Abdullah. “I don’t have any desire or any ulterior motive. Being the witness to all this I want to make it public that the directions came from Farooq Abdullah to suppress and arrest the supporters of Muslim United Front who dared to challenge the authority of National Conference in 1987. Then Public Works Minister late Ghulam Mohiuddin Shah directed some police officer to torture selected youth who later on formed Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front,” he said.
He said he feels disgusting this time and always repents why he supported the wrongdoings of National Conference. “When killings in Kashmir was the order of the day and New Delhi rejected the Autonomy proposal passed by National Conference legislative Assembly. Hundreds of workers approached Dr Farooq Abdullah and requested him to resign. We told him that people are with you Farooq Sahib, go ahead, resign and raise the slogan of autonomy in public. Every supporter and grass root workers of the party was shocked at the reply of Farooq Abdullah. Farooq showed thumb to his supporters and yelled that ‘we want chair not jail,” Bhat said.
Bhat alleged that National Conference disgraced the loyal and grass root level workers. “Thousands of NC loyalists are disheartened at the approach of party leadership. Those people are at present at the helm of affairs who in past left no stone-unturned in tarnishing the image of the party,” he said.Bhat said that Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah annihilated National Conference for which Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah had given many sacrifices. “Mark my words, this party will vanish from the history of Kashmir as smoke vanishes in air. People of Ganderbal are feeling sorry for electing Omar in 2008 as he relied on ‘white lies’ and made only fake promises to them,” he said. (CNS)