Fear returns to Kashmir, forces footprint increasing: Omar Abdullah.

Ganderbal, Dec 14 : National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said that peace in Kashmir remains elusive as ever with the footprint of forces personnel increasing and new security bunkers being constructed across Srinagar.

Addressing a massive workers convention at the district headquarters of the party in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, he, as per a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said, “Post abrogation of Art 370, we were told that peace will return to J&K. However the situation on ground completely belies that claim. In the last 24 hours we witnessed an encounter in Rangreth, an ambush on J&K Police personnel which resulted in the unfortunate killing of three policemen and injuries to scores.”

He said that the incumbent administration has failed to give a sense of security to the people. “Let alone pulling up the projected dawn of development, employment extravaganza and investment, the GOI has failed to give a sense of security to our people,” he added.

Among others General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar, Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani, Senior leader Mian Altaf Ahmed, Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani, Central Zone President Ali Muhammad Dar, District President GN Rather, Political Advisor to VP Tanvir Sadiq, VP Ahsan Pardesi, YNC Provincial President Salman Ali Sagar, In Charge Social Media Sarah Hayat Shah, YNC Zone President Mir Mushtaq, scores of local unit functionaries and YNC functionaries were also present on the occasion.

Pointing towards certain quarters for targeting NC, he said that instead of directing their criticism towards the incumbent governments at the centre and Srinagar, these political parties are directing it towards NC.

“It speaks volumes about their character. At a time when people are suffering on account of widespread administration apathy, development deficit, skyrocketing inflation, scathing unemployment, political void and crumbling scenario of security, they should have questioned those who run the affairs at New Delhi and Srinagar. Why have they held up their tongues? Why is it that only we are seeking answers from the government? It is because they are a small cog in a large wheel of those forces who are making our youth suffer. Their pointing fingers towards us and not towards the forces let’s slip to their links with anti J&K forces. Every time they speak it’s not about youth, it’s not about our land, our infringed rights. Every time they come out with remarks against NC and every time they let the cat out of the bag,” he said.

Praising party President Dr Farooq Abdullah for uniting the mainstream political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said that NC is not running after power and that the PAGD alliance has been formed to keep those parties and individuals who are playing into the hands of BJP and RSS at bay. “We haven’t seen these so-called leaders put-up any fight. Contrarily they have flagrantly kept mute all through. We didn’t see him put up a fight when land laws, and other laws were supplanted on people of J&K,” he added.

“The Centre has always tried to weaken the voices from Jammu and Kashmir. These people from Delhi never left any tactic to weaken us. Mushrooming of some individual based parties from every street of Kashmir is only aimed to divide our voice. The Centre has, time and again, tried to weaken our voice. We were divided and they succeeded in fulfilling their plot. Our voice weakened and they snatched from us our identity,” he said.

He further said that NC is not against the idea of any other party propping up in Kashmir. “But we won’t allow any one flying under false colors to harm the interests of our people, their rights,” he said.

Ruing the failure of successive regimes in JK in augmenting the tourism-related infrastructure projects by making spots like Sonamarg easily accessible Omar lamented that the fate of mega road tunnel, power generation and tourism projects in Ganderbal and elsewhere in Jammu and Kashmir has been put into question.

“Not even a brick has been moved. There has been no headway in developing more travel destinations, augmenting infrastructure and perking up public utilities services. Every single project, be it a major or minor one, has been put into a deep cold storage. The situation in Ganderbal is no different,” he added—(KNO)