Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Jan 31: Former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, today said that they will repeal the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA) if the National Conference (NC) is elected with majority in the forthcoming elections.
Omar, in his address to the party workers in Pulwama, said that the PSA will go in days once his party is elected to power. “My Government in 2011 had mellowed down the PSA by bringing some amendments to it. However, this time, I assure you and through you I assure the people of Jammu and Kashmir that the day National Conference makes Government on its own, God willing in 2019, within days I will repeal PSA. I am telling you (workers) that I will blot it out from the papers forever,” he said.
The former CM said that Kashmir youth should not be arrested under PSA and for months together their parents suffer for their dear ones. “Why would our youth be arrested under PSA? Why parents won’t suffer when their children are being lodged for months? Governments are meant to heal the wounds of people and provide relief to them,” he added.
Omar said the State witnessed many handicapped Governments in the form of coalitions. “We have seen enough of handicapped Governments where we remain at the mercy of someone. Late Mufti was there (CM) courtesy Azad and Azad was CM thanks to Mufti. And I remained in power for six years because of Congress support,” he said.
Omar said that it is reason that the NC wants a Government on its own so as to rectify certain things. “We know that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) won’t be revoked without discussing it with Centre. And for that we will discuss it with the Centre. But what about State laws why we can’t revoke them,” he said.
“I continued to pursue the revocation of AFSPA throughout my stint as Chief Minister. I have not given up on the issue and once in power will revive the effort of pursuing the matter with forthcoming Central Government,” he said.
The former CM said that he has no expectation from Prime Minister’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir. “We have no much expectation from Prime Minister’s visit. For the last four years, we were hoping that Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, will take steps towards resolution of Kashmir that didn’t happen. We wanted political dialogue process to be started. They appointed Interlocutor for name only and nothing was done”, he said.
“Now only few months of Modi Sahib are left and we shouldn’t expect much from his visit. Perhaps for BJP’s campaign and inaugurate some projects and lay foundation stones of other and politically what we wanted from him didn’t happen”, Omar said.
On Pakistan Foreign Minister’s phone to Mirwaiz and Government raising objections over it, the NC vice president said: “We were also speaking to Mirwaiz. I attended several seminars with him and he was speaking his view and I was speaking my view point. I feel at that time Government of India was tolerant and now it is not tolerant towards such things”, he said.
He added that the Kashmir issue should be resolved politically. “The issues are not resolved like this. We have to accept it that Jammu and Kashmir is a political problem and it has to be addressed politically”, he said.
The former Chief Minister said that the PDP-BJP Government didn’t carry forward good work initiated by his Government. “The former BJP-PDP Government wasn’t able to carry forward the momentum of good work initiated by my Government. Instead the coalition bequeathed the State towards morass and destruction”, he added.
“During our stint in Government from 2009-2014, we worked towards reconciliation and lessening the foot-print of security forces. However, what good was achieved during NC led Government was put into an abyss by the former BJP-PDP led Government”, Omar said.
The NC vice president said that Mehbooba’s supplication for releasing prisoners is too late an effort to move people. “People have seen it all with their eyes as to who opened the flood gates for all those forces as are contriving hard to destroy the State,” he said.
Omar targeted Mehbooba by pushing the youth to wall that led to educated youth joining militancy. “Nowadays, Mehbooba is pushing for the release of political prisoners and other political activists. Given the fact she was the one in whose tenure as Chief Minister youth were hounded; crackdowns and CASOs were unleashed on people. No one can deny the fact that it was during her tenure that saw a steep rise among the young educated youth joining militancy,” he said.
The NC vice president said that people still remember how bare facedly Mehbooba had said that the guns of CRPF and other para military forces aren’t for mere display but action. “Now the same lady has the gumption to ask for release of prisoners in whose tenure they were arrested, blinded, maimed and killed. People remember the way she mocked the pain and agony of people with her toffee and milk remarks,” he said.
Omar said that his government had the sincerity of thought and a commitment towards service that helped him to serve people for six years. “If we had worked like Mehbooba Mufti did, we couldn’t have completed our full tenure,” he said.
The former CM said that in BJP-PDP government the people of South Kashmir only saw death and destruction and on developmental front it has been neglected.
Omar maintained that National Conference has the sincerity of thought and the political will to pull the state out of morass, death and destruction to peace and harmony. “I wasn’t expecting such a turn-out of people here in Pulwama, but the way you have turned up has increased my absolve to serve you,” he said adding that South Kashmir in particular has to take a stride in the direction of giving the state a strong mandated government by giving NC majority to pursue the agenda of peace, prosperity and reconciliation.
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