Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 25: National Conference today lashed out at the PDP-BJP coalition for harbouring dangerous plans to re-invent Ikhwan in the Valley and said any such move would be disastrous for the State and its people.
In a press statement here, NC Provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani castigated the PDP-BJP alliance over Union Defense Minister, Manohar Parikar’s statement about “terrorists killing terrorists” and sought an official clarification from PDP patron and Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
“This is a very dangerous statement and is fraught with the risk of jeopardizing the normalcy that has been achieved over the years in the State due to sustained efforts of peace and reconciliation. The fact that this statement has come from the Union Defense Minister makes this a very serious matter. The conspicuous silence of the Chief Minister and his reluctance to oppose this statement is worrisome. These are clear indications that PDP is on board and there is a well thought out plan to re-invent mercenary counter-insurgents in the State”, Wani said.
He said Mufti’s political past attests to the fact that PDP has always maintained an operational, political association with counter-insurgents and that this party has always been opposed to the ideas of reconciliation and amnesty. “It is a fact that PDP opposed the rehabilitation policy in the Legislative Assembly and that these people were opposed to giving misguided youth a chance to re-start their lives. Now, if they are actively considering re-inventing Ikhwanis, what effect will this have on the goal of reconciliation? PDP has always fished in troubled water and patronized the most dangerous mischiefs that have harmed the people of this State and it is evident they are trying to repeat this tendency again”, the NC leader stated.
“The PDP seems to have forgotten the fact that it was none other than PDP patron and then Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed under whose command top militant commanders of the Hizbul Mujahideen were hunted and executed despite the fact that there was a ceasefire that was in place and these militant commanders had come to the talks table during the tenure of then Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah. That move too, was based on the same premise of subverting peace in the Valley,” he said.
Wani said it was none other than PDP patron who brought AFSPA to J&K as the then Home Minister of India and as the Chief Minister of the PDP-Congress Government institutionalized SOG into the system – as was exposed in an interview with Karan Thapar. “PDP has a track-record of association with former mercenary counter-insurgents and there seems to be a plan to re-introduce that culture”, Nasir added.
NC leader cautioned PDP that any such sinister move would be opposed tooth and nail and NC would never allow the PDP-BJP alliance to play with the future of the State.
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