SRINAGAR: Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone on Tuesday said National Conference is responsible for the death and destruction in Kashmir.
Addressing a series of meetings in Kangan, Sajad said NC has nothing to showcase apart from stolen elections, being Delhi’s ambassador in Kashmir and thousands of dead bodies.
“At the core of every misery, every exploitation inflicted upon the Kashmiri nation since 1975 one can find an Abdullah linkage. From bartering our Wazir-e- Azam and Sadar-i-Riyasat for a toothless CM to enacting PSA (1977) as a means of purging the opposition especially the Jamaat-e-Islami, NC has betrayed Kashmiris at every critical juncture of history,” he said.
He said the 1987 rigging by NC became the immediate trigger for the violence that has gripped the state and devoured one lakh lives.
“As if that wasn’t enough in another bloody deal, the Abdullah’s partnered with the Ikhwanis in 1996 to ensure another grab of power at the altar of yet another generation of Kashmiris blood. In a deal, NC offered political rewards to dreaded Ikhwanis for thier facilitation in acquiring power for the Abdullahs’. During 1996-2002, Farooq Abdullah encouraged the “chit system” wherein a name was scribbled on a chit for elimination given to Ikhwan. The orders would come directly from the CM office. Farooq Abdullah, who parades himself as a gentle old man is in-fact a white collar killer,” he added.
Appealing the people of Srinagar-Budgam constituency to vote for PC candidate Irfan Reza Ansari, Sajad said the curse of changelessness has to go and for that the people will have to make a decision.
Sajad said that PC will offer a generational change and a system of governance in tune with today’s realities and challenges.
“The NC has ruled for decades since 1975. What can they showcase as their distinctive achievement? Nothing apart from stolen elections, being Delhi’s ambassador in Kashmir, thousands of dead bodies. The systems of the bygone era cannot help us confront the current challenges staring at our faces”, he added.
Sajad said the tried, tested and failed leaders, known for their dismal track records, are responsible for the death and destruction in Kashmir.
“I was in school when Farooq Sahib was a Parliament member and then a Chief Minster, the same Rather Sahib was the Finance Minister, the same Mubarak Gul Sahib, the same Shafi Uri sahib, the same Akbar Lone sahib. I was a school boy then and a middle aged man now. The same set of people oversaw the slow death of the Dal, the same people oversaw deforestation, the same people destroyed our education sector, the same people destroyed our health service, the same people ensured governance in an archaic set of laws, the same people stole elections, the same people thrust gun on to the peaceful Kashmiris, the same people robbed us of our special status. And the same people have the audacity to come and seek votes”, he added.
Stressing on the need for change, Sajad said that this election is not a test of the politicians but a test of the people.
“Will the same people aspire to rule us? The option is all too easy to decipher. Either the deadwood goes or we as people will be rendered deadwood. We all deserve a change and it is the people who can bring about a change. We deserve a chance and with all humility. Farooq sahib has been an outstanding non-deliverer. And if we reward and incentivize non-deliverers, what would be the incentive for delivery?”, he asked.
Sajad promised that his party will fill all government vacancies in six months, if they come in power.
“Give us a chance. We appeal to the youth we don’t promise the unachievable. If we come to power, we will fill all the government vacancies in six months. Does the youth of Kashmir know that about forty thousand vacancies in the government sector are unfilled? And the recruitment agencies will take a decade to fill them. We have newer ideas. We propose to have two or three general examinations in a year and these examinations will cover all the vacant posts, rather than having dozens of examinations. And based on merit, the candidates will fill the vacant posts. Merit will prevail”, he added.
Rejecting Farooq Abdullah’s claim that he asked him to ‘sit with the BJP’, Sajad said that he has never met or called Farooq Abdullah in the last decade.
“Farooq sahib may kindly tell us when have I ever met him or called him in the last decade? He is either lying or age is catching up with him. I want to make it unambiguously clear that I have never met or called Farooq Sahib. We were in the plane together and not on the same row and that was when Mufti Sahib died. While deplaning and en-route to the airport lounge, Farooq sahib did whisper something into my ear. It was a one-way conversation. He spoke and I heard. And given that was a private conversation, I won’t embarrass him by making it public”, he added.
On Omar Abdullah’s continued silence over his meetings with the BJP leadership post 2014 Assembly elections, Sajad yet again asked Omar to give a clear answer.
“Omar’s continued silence on having met the top BJP leadership is quite damning. While he has a knack of commentating on everything under the sun, the one answer the people of Kashmir demand from him is not forthcoming. Why is Omar Abdullah hiding behind the wall of silence? If he has nothing to hide, then he should make public the events that followed the 2014 Assembly polls and let the people of Kashmir decide whether he is the ‘sole warrior’ against the BJP or a ‘BJP reject’ and a fit case of sour grapes”, he added. (PTK)
Srinagar;16.4.2018 Senior leader and former parliamentarian, Dr.Mehboob Beg has come-out with a point-by-point rebuttal to the issues recently raised by National Conference President and Vice President. It is important that the people of the state are given the correct facts and that history is not distorted.
We have had various issues raised by the National Conference leadership during their recent media interactions and public rallies, which do not find much corroboration in history and most of them are not factually correct either, it is essential that the correct facts as well as a correct account of the historical events is put before the people, said Dr.Beg.
To seek to establish an impression that militancy in the valley had been controlled and has suddenly seen a rise is not the correct picture to portray. Parties have come and gone out of power, however, militancy has remained a constant and is directly connected with the ‘political resolution’ of the Kashmir issue. We have seen ups and downs in this regard, but the problem has remained. Those questioning the implementation of Agenda of Alliance must first answer why they squandered-away the golden opportunity given to them in 1996.
Dr. Farooq Abdullah had a two-third majority in 1996, the people of the State had given him the complete authority to dictate terms to the Union government, what happened then? Did it even once occur to Dr.Abdullah that he could change the course of Kashmir’s history, that he could play the hard ball, that he could seek certain assurances from the Central government before agreeing to take oath? In comparison, the mandate given to the PDP in 2014 was by no means an absolute mandate, it was far from it. Yet, the PDP leadership was able to chart-out the Agenda of Alliance, ensuring that the all-powerful central government signed on a document that ensured no tampering with the special status enjoyed by the people of the State.
The BJP had an intent to deceive is another matter, that Mehbooba Mufti was unflinching in her pro-people stand, to the utter inconvenience of Modi-Shah duo has been time and again accepted by Amit Shah and Ram Madhav, remarked Dr.Beg.
While the National Conference leadership has been asking questions left, right and centre, I would like to pose a few questions of my own, said Dr.Beg. Dr. Beg asked as to why Sheikh Sahab hurriedly took-over as the Chief Minister when Beg Sahab (Fakhr-e-Kashmir) had made-out a case that Sheikh Sahab should take over as ‘Prime Minister’ of the State, a title befitting the status of the Supreme leader of Kashmir? Sheikh Sahab openly asked Beg Sahab not to raise the issue and cause hurdles to Indira Gandhi, why so? Beg-Parthasarthi talks mentioned that since the parties did not agree on many issues, they will revert to the ‘principal parties’ (Sheikh Sahab and Indira Gandhi), what happened then? What happened to the committee (headed by D.D Thakur, after Beg Sahab was asked to resign) formed to review the laws made applicable to J&K (post 1953)? Answers to all these questions are mandatory for us to get a clear perspective of Kashmir’s history and to know who played what role, said the former Parliamentarian. (PTK)
