Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Dec 5: Former Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Dr Farooq Abdullah today hoped that the visit of External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, to Pakistan will lead to resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan and peace on the borders.
While speaking to reporters after paying tributes to his grandfather and National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on his 110th birth anniversary at Hazratbal here, Omar said: “We hope that this visit will lead to improvement in situation, the ceasefire will be respected and the dialogue process will be resumed.”
The NC leader said Swaraj’s visit to Pakistan for a conference on Afghanistan on December 8, is significant in view of tension between the two countries. “It is a good thing that Sushma Swaraj is going to Pakistan. Although this is not a bilateral visit, the aim of her visit is Afghanistan as there is a conference on Afghanistan in Pakistan. However, External Affairs Minister’s visit to Pakistan is not a small issue, especially in conditions where there is tension between the two countries. Even if the visit is happening due to Afghanistan, we will be hopeful that the bilateral dialogue is also resumed,” he added
Omar held Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, responsible for hate attacks taking place in the State as he had bartered “everything” for saving his chair.”Our Chief Minister has bartered everything to save his chair. The Chief Minister is directly responsible for the attacks which have taken place in Rajouri, Udhampur or elsewhere in the State,” he added. He said this while reacting to a question about the increase in attacks on Muslim transporters in Rajouri and other areas of Jammu region.
The NC working president said he had extended support to PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for forming the Government in the wake of the hung Assembly to keep such elements out of the State. “When the election results were declared, National Conference extended a hand of friendship towards Mufti Sayeed with the intention of keeping such forces out of the State which only want to set the State on fire”, he added.
Omar said that he had apprehensions about the dangers of BJP particularly the RSS being part of any Government into the State. “We had an apprehension that allowing the BJP and particularly the RSS into the State would be fraught with dangers. Unfortunately, our apprehensions have been proved correct in the nine months,” he said.
The former CM said that on one hand large scale arrests are being made in Kashmir and RSS is holding armed rallies in Jammu. He said that the atmosphere developing in the State and across the country is “not good”.
On State Government’s stand that it does not know who has been conferred the title of Sher-e-Kashmir, Omar said Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was not only the tallest leader of this State but was also counted among the tall leaders of the country as well. “He has left an indelible impression by his political role and more than that the economic contribution he made to the State by virtue of Land to Tiller (Act) and loan waiver. I say this even today no one can have difference with the economic contribution of Sheikh Sahab even though they might have difference with this politics. Jammu and Kashmir today has the least poverty and it is only because of these two steps taken by him,” he added.
National Conference president and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah also hoped that Swaraj’s visit to Pakistan will help in improving relations and resolution of all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan.”We hope that Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Pakistan will improve the relations between the two countries and also in carrying forward the dialogue process so that all issues between them can be resolved,” he said.
“I am hopeful that many issues would be resolved with this visit of Sushma Swaraj to Pakistan by holding talks in cordial atmosphere. And, God willing there would be game (cricket). The game is good thing and the politics should not come in between this. We hope there would be cricket series not only outside but also in India and Pakistan,” Abdullah said.
Asked about the increase in militancy related violence and waving of Islamic State flags in Kashmir, the NC president said: “See, these things would continue to happen till there is no solution. That is why both India and Pakistan should befriend each other and solve (Kashmir) if they want to get rid of IS and militancy.”
Abdullah welcomed the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Paris last week. “We do not know what they talked about but let us hope that they find some way of resolving this issue,” he said.
The NC president reiterated his earlier statement that neither India nor Pakistan has the capability to annexe the territory of Jammu and Kashmir in each other’s control. “Both have atom bombs. Are we going to drop these bombs on each other and get wiped out?,” he asked.
Abdullah said the two countries should grant greater autonomy to their respective regions of Kashmir and make the Line of Control irrelevant by allowing free travel and trade between the two sides of the State. “Omar during his meeting with then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in 2006 had presented to him a copy of the Autonomy report prepared by the National Conference. He explained the salient features to Musharraf, who told him that they can work on it,” he claimed.
The NC president recalled his meeting with then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee upon the latter’s return from Pakistan. “Vajpayee went to Pakistan via bus and he spoke to Nawaz Sharif. He suggested him to keep that and we will keep this,” he said.
Abdullah said that similar views have been expressed by Khurshid Kasuri, Foreign Minister in Musharraf regime. “Farooq may not be around but mark my words — this is the only solution to Kashmir. If anyone has a better solution, we are not against it. However, any solution should be dignified and acceptable to people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
When asked, the NC president said he has no objection if Mehbooba Mufti, the PDP president, replaces her father as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. “Congratulations. They can make whom they want to make CM. Farooq Abdullah has no objection. It is their task…,” he said.
Lashing out at the separatists including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, NC president said the only trouble with that solution is that the “shops of those who want the situation in Jammu and Kashmir to remain as such will close down.” “They are surviving because of the division and their shops will close once there is a solution,” he said.
Abdullah asked National Conference leaders to make people, especially the youth of the State, aware about the autonomy of the State and Article 370 of the Constitution, which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir. “Many people talk about Article 370 and autonomy without knowing anything about it. You should make people aware of this,” he said.
NC president hit out at the PDP-BJP coalition Government saying the flood victims have been neglected while unemployment is on the rise and prices of essentials have skyrocketed.
Earlier, Omar, Farooq, Mustafa Kamaal along with other senior leaders joined hundreds of their workers to pay tributes to founder of the NC, Sheikh Abdullah and offered ‘Fateh-e-Khawani’ at his grave.
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