Adil Lateef
SRINAGAR, Sept 8: Seeking release of separatists, Opposition National Conference (NC) president and Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Farooq Abdullah today said he won’t acknowledge the ongoing National Investigation Agency (NIA) raids in terror funding case till any tangible conclusion.
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“I will acknowledge the NIA raids only then when something comes out of them,” Farooq said while speaking to reporters here on the sidelines of an event to commemorate 35th death anniversary of his father, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, adding: “If they are doing these raids only to harass them (separatists) so that they bow before them, then I want to tell the NIA and also Government of India that no matter how much you oppress but no one is ready to trade principles here.”
The NC president while seeking release of the separatist leaders said that they should be allowed to go to Delhi tomorrow on September 9 where they at their own are scheduled to appear before NIA. “They themselves wanted to go to Delhi to present themselves before NIA to tell the probe agency to reveal if there is anything against them,” he said, while reacting to yesterday’s detentions of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Yasin Malik.
The NC president dared NIA to probe to “those funds which were pumped into Valley to wipe out his party”. “First of all, I would like to ask NIA to probe that money which India spent in Kashmir to obliterate National Conference (but) why aren’t you investigating that? They won’t probe it. But they can’t hide it. Millions of rupees were spent by them (India) to put down red flag (of NC) because as long as this flag flies high, they won’t be able to enslave us. Remember it,” he said.
Asked about Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq said he doesn’t have any expectation out of the visit. “I have no expectation at all. He will come, he will meet like he met before. What happened then? He led a delegation of the MPs. What happened to that MPs delegation and their recommendations? What happened? Nothing happened. I won’t expect anything now to happen,” he said.
The NC president, who was also former Union Minister, said Government should lift restrictions on separatists and let them talk to express their stand. “You see if we have to come and talk to anybody, then those people should be released so that they can tell what they have to tell the Home Minister. It is important they should be released and they can tell him what is in their minds and hearts,” he said.
In reply to a question on Article 35-A, Farooq said he has already spoken to lawyers in this regard and they will defend the case in Supreme Court. “We are already booking a lawyer to fight for this. I have been myself there. I have also spoken to the lawyers. We will have a good representation of our lawyers who will defend Article 35-A in the Supreme Court,” he said.
Farooq said the “assault” on State’s special status was a “challenge that should unite everyone who is sincere towards the people and is committed to defend the J&K’s unique political and cultural identity”. “The assault on Article 35-A is an assault on our soul and our identity and we should all unite to defend our honour. The powers that we are using myths and distortions to support their long-cherished goal of weakening J&K from within but in the end the truth always prevails,” he said.
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