National Conference on Friday lashed out at Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the State Government and the J&K Police for putting the lives of various party leaders and activists in harm's way by politicizing the duty of the police to protect political leaders and activists on the basis of an apolitical, authentic and legitimate consideration of threat assessment.In a statement to KNS NC Spokesman Junaid Azim Mattu said it was tragic and unfortunate that the J&K Police leadership was allowing an unprecedented politicization of its duties by the incumbent Chief Minister and his political party.“A meeting was held at the Party Headquarters in Srinagar today and was presided over by NC General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar and was attended by NC Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani and NC Spokesman Junaid Azim Mattu. The meeting was held to take note of the recent withdrawal of security to various party leaders and office bearers by J&K Police and to consider a future course of action against such blatant politicization of the functions of the Police Department,” he said.
Expressing disappointment and alarm at the sudden withdrawal of the personal police security of various NC leaders, office bearers and party activists, Mattu said, “These incidents were telling indictments of how the value of a human life had been politicized on account of directions from the Chief Minister and his party.”Asking the Director General of Police to take serious cognizance of the fact that various protected, security-categorized political leaders and activists of the party had been left without any security all of a sudden on the directions of the PDP-BJP Ministers and MLAs, the NC Spokesman said, “The party would not allow such unbecoming and tragic politicization of the institutions of the State by the PDP-BJP alliance.”“Apparently some of our Police officers are being called and coerced by Ministers and MLAs of the PDP-BJP alliance to withdraw security covers to various National Conference leaders and office bearers. In the last few days, security has been withdrawn from a number of party leaders and activists without any legal or legitimate reasons being stated. This is an extremely deplorable turn of events and speaks volumes about the intolerance, arrogance and political impropriety of the ruling PDP-BJP alliance in the State,” Mattu alleged.
"The system of assessing the threat to the life of a political leader or activist is not a political process. The J&K Police is not a political wing of the ruling PDP-BJP alliance. The value of an individual's life is not a derivative of the seating arrangement in the Legislative Assembly There is an apolitical, elaborate process in place to ascertain the threat to the life of an individual and the Police should adhere to that and allow that process to exist without any political interference by the ruling alliance. If the Police is being pressurized by the Chief Minister and Ministers, MLAs of the PDP-BJP alliance - the Director General of Police should approach the Governor and the Union Home Ministry to inform them that the functions of providing security in J&K were now fully compromised and controlled by politicians and that he and his department would not be responsible if any now unprotected leader or activist was harmed", the Spokesman said.
He cautioned the Chief Minister from resorting to “illegitimate abuse” of the system and the institutions of the Government to further a “malicious political agenda of retribution of vengeance.”“The Chief Minister rather than being worried about the welfare of the flood victims, the release of salary to employees and contractors and the basic duties of governance he has been elected for is tragically busy in the petty business of coercing the Police to withdraw the security of leaders from the principal opposition party in the State", her claimed.Ridiculing PDP's pretense of being open to ideological disagreements and divergence, the NC Spokesman said Mufti Sayeed's slogan of the 'Battle of Ideas' against the separatist leaders had been reduced to a cruel, unimaginative joke. "Mufti Sahab is too intolerant to get into a 'Battle of Ideas' with the mainstream, principal opposition party. He has finally reduced the office of the Chief Minister to the role of choosing whose life is worth protecting and whose is not. When the PDP-BJP Government cannot muster the courage to get into a 'Battle of Ideas' with a mainstream party, how will they have the face to talk of a 'Battle of Ideas' against the Separatist leaders? Whatever Mufti Sahab's compulsions and regardless of which city he is getting his daily dictations and orders from, we will not allow the credibility of the institutions of this State to be eroded. We will not allow the State Government to pick and choose on matters of security and safety,” he added.