Former CM says alliance partners PDP and BJP are pulling in different directions and Mehbooba Mufti remaining in office will not help the troubled state.
Srinagar: National Conference working president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has questioned the intent of the PDP-BJP government in ensuring peace in the troubled state even as the BJP-led central government has announced a ceasefire for the holy month of Ramzan.
Abdullah’s criticism comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the Himalayan state for a series of events Saturday, days after his government’s surprise decision to agree to the demand of political parties in the state to announce a Ramzan ceasefire and push for peace.
“The truth is that Mehbooba Mufti remaining in office is not going to help the situation. The PDP and BJP are pulling in opposite directions except with respect to staying in office,” Abdullah told ThePrint in an interview.
“It’s as if they have decided that regardless of how tense Jammu becomes, regardless of how violent Kashmir becomes, they will enjoy the spoils of office. It has become a very cosy partnership,” he said.
The former chief minister, however, backed the ceasefire decision.
“On the demand of all political parties (except the BJP, which had opposed it) the Centre has announced a unilateral ceasefire. Now if the terrorists don’t respond in kind, they will stand exposed as the true enemies of the people,” Abdullah had tweeted Wednesday.
The Valley has seen a bloody 2018 even before summer has set in. As such, Omar also expressed disappointment at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he has not shown initiative in addressing the violence in the state.
“Whatever the Prime Minister’s intent, his actions should have spoken louder. Given that the BJP pretty much commands the country, I don’t think that the Prime Minister has to fear taking bold decisions,” Abdullah said.
“I think the boldness that we saw from him in his dealings with Pakistan, has been sorely missed in his dealings in Jammu and Kashmir. Here was a Prime Minister who invited Nawaz Sharif for his swearing-in. But we haven’t seen this sort of out-of-the-box thinking with regard to Jammu and Kashmir. That personally disappoints me,” he said.
Active on social media, Abdullah has been speaking out against stone pelters.
“I can’t condone stone pelting as a means of bringing change. If stone pelting is viewed as a means of protest, then it is certainly not a non-destructive form of protest. You put one tourist in a hospital and another one ends up dead, how then is one stone pelter any different?” Abdullah asked.
While he accused the separatists of outraging selectively and not condemning the violence against innocent people, Abdullah was quick to add that the Hurriyat is a stakeholder if a dialogue process is initiated. “Whether the Hurriyat is in control of what is happening right now or not, they effectively represent a support group here, and an ideology that will have to be represented at the dialogue table,” he said.
On why young and employed youth such as assistant professor Mohammad Rafi Bhat were joining militant ranks, the former chief minister admitted that he was perplexed by this new narrative in the Valley.
“I don’t know what it is that is driving these youngsters. We were earlier fed on this diet that youngsters were driven by the general atmosphere that there are no jobs or security. But this young professor had an opportunity to mould other youngsters’ lives,” Abdullah said.
“He had job security. He was well paid. And yet he was so disillusioned with what is happening. Here is a young man who finished work on Friday, became a militant on the weekend and died on Monday. That is literally his time line,” he said.