Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah on Monday asserted that the principal task ahead of the state is to protect its special status saying that the party has fielded suitable candidates from all the parliamentary seats of Kashmir who will ensure that the voice of people is heard in the Parliament.Addressing two separate mammoth rallies at Beerwah and Kunzar, party Vice President said that the party keeping in view the herculean task of putting up a strong front in protecting state’s special constitutional status has fielded most suitable candidates from the three parliamentary constituencies of Kashmir. “Our candidate for south Kashmir is a legal luminary justice Hassnain Masudi whose pronounced judgments and articles reveal his legal acumen and dedication. Our candidate from north Kashmir’s Baramulla LS Constituency is Muhammad Akbar Lone, again a former Advocate has served at many key posts in the cabinet. He is a fighter, and we wanted a person of his standing and political acumen who could fight for the interests of our state in Lok Sabha,” adding, “For Srinagar, we could not think of anybody other than Dr Farooq Abdullah. A four-time chief minister, he has been representing the state in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha many times in the past as well. To have a person of his national standing representing the state in Lok Sabha will benefit the interests of the state.”Questioning Mehbooba Mufti for denigrating the task of raising issues of state in the Lok Sabha, he said, “We have seen such member parliaments who used to say “yar bolu yaar”, we saw such candidates who failed to highlight issues concerning our state in the topmost hose of people, on the contrary, they spoke of New Delhi in Kashmir.
Now people have made it a point to show them their right place.”Lashing out at PDP for berating and belittling the mandate of people given to them in 2014 LS and assembly polls, Omar said, “Nowadays we hear PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said that she will never join hands with BJP. How should we believe her? Previously she sought the mandate of people at the pretext of keeping BJP out, but what followed was an apt case of political opportunism. PDP joined hands with the same BJP, given the fact that our party had extended unconditional support to them to keep BJP out in 2015. But Late Mufti declined our offer saying that they are joining hands with BJP to forge a friendship with Pakistan, remove AFSPA, bringing back power projects and usher development in the state.”While referring to the rampant banning and arrest spree of socio-political organizations in Kashmir, he said, “We conducted most successful elections of 2014. At that time we didn’t feel banning JeI. Maulana Mushtaq Veeri of Jamiat Ahle Hadees too is languishing in jail for 28 days now for no reasons. I am baffled to hear this. It was Maulana Mushtaq Shah from the same organization, which came forward and helped us to normalize the situation in 2010. We have worked with them occasionally; working with them proves good at times for the greater good of people, notwithstanding our differences. This is primarily why we are against banning such outfits.”