New Delhi: Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah Sunday accused the central government of not “keeping its promise made to the people of Ladakh”. Speaking at the launch of journalist Harinder Baweja’s book They Will Shoot You Madam: My Life Through Conflict, Abdullah said here that until two days ago, the Centre saw no fault in climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, but then everything changed.
“When he (Wangchuk) praised the Prime Minister as an environmental warrior, nobody found fault with him. And when he celebrated in 2019, profusely, for fulfilling the dreams of Ladakhis by granting them UT status, nobody objected either. Today, suddenly, we are told there is a Pakistani connection,” said Abdullah.
He was referring to Wangchuk’s arrest under the National Security Act (NSA) and the emergence of a ‘Pakistan link’, as alleged by Ladakh DGP S.D. Singh Jamwal. On Saturday, the UT’s top police official said, “Wangchuk’s protest provided a platform for violence to erupt,” adding that they were investigating a possible Pakistan connection.
“Two days ago, there was no Pakistani connection. Now suddenly, there is one. And then you wonder why there is a trust deficit,” Omar remarked.
He went on to say that when the central government wanted the people of Ladakh to participate in the 2023 hill council elections, it promised to extend Sixth Schedule protections to the Union Territory, knowing that it would be “impossible” to implement.
“Knowing fully well that giving Sixth Schedule status to Ladakh is all but impossible. Because the Sixth Schedule makes it nearly impossible to acquire land even for defence purposes—and a territory that shares its border with China on one side and Pakistan on the other cannot do without a sizable defence setup,” he said, as the tightly packed hall listened intently.
Speaking about Ladakh, Omar also drew parallels with promises made to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, saying the government was “reaping the benefits of its false promises”.
“In Jammu and Kashmir, you told us it was a three-stage process: first delimitation, then elections, and finally statehood. The first two processes you completed. The third process is going nowhere. And then you wonder why there is a trust deficit,” he said.
Protests in Ladakh for statehood and Sixth Schedule protections took a violent turn Wednesday, as young protesters set the BJP’s office on fire and pelted stones at police and CRPF personnel. Security forces opened fire in “self defence”, resulting in the deaths of four protesters.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in a press note accused Wangchuk, who had been sitting on a hunger strike at the NDS ground in Leh since 10 September, of ‘instigating the mob’ that “left the venue of the hunger strike and attacked a political party office as well as Government office of the CEC Leh”.
Referring to the situation in Ladakh, Omar Abdullah warned: “It is an important reminder of what we have gone through, and also a reminder of where we could end up again if we are not careful.
“Very often decisions are taken without adequate thought, and promises are made merely to bring about momentary peace.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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A murderer is jailed only after committing a murder, right?