STATE TIMES NEWS
Srinagar: Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has asked PDP President Mehbooba Mufti to recommend dissolution of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for conduct of fresh elections in the State if she is “unable or unwilling” to assume the responsibility as Chief Minister.
In an open letter to Mehbooba Mufti, the National Conference leader said “to dilly-dally is the biggest disservice you can do” to people of the State as they should not be denied an elected government.
“If you are unable or unwilling to assume the responsibilities that are being placed on your shoulders, then you must do your duty to the people, recommend to His Excellency The Governor to dissolve the Assembly, and let the people make a fresh decision in an election,” he said.
Omar said Mehbooba’s reluctance to step up and take charge meant that in less than a year, the State had to be placed under central rule again.
“No state should be denied an elected government, but I took some consolation from the belief, alas mistaken, that central rule would be a short-lived affair and you would take over after the four days of mourning,” he said.
The Working President of National Conference said the people of the State had a number of expectations.
“The flood victims expected to see a bigger flood relief package; industry expected to see the return of power projects; contractors expected to see more money for development; and unemployed youngsters expected to see more jobs.
“Civil society was heartened to read that you were negotiating to ensure that divisive issues like the attack on our flag and threat to our special constitutional status would end,” he said.
Omar said the PDP president cannot blame the people for expecting to see all this happen. “Of course you can’t, because this was part of the information being fed to us from people around you”.
He said Mehbooba’s silence resulted in others from her party rushing in to fill the void.
“People close to you, or pretending to be close to you, started to spin your reluctance as a negotiating tactic. It was made known that the alliance was teetering on the brink of an abyss.
“The Agenda for Alliance, the final policy document bequeathed to you by Mufti Sahib, had been ignored by your allies and you were angry.
“We were told that you would not takeover unless you had firm assurances from no lesser person than the Prime Minister.
“That unless parts of it were implemented immediately, you would walk away from the alliance with the BJP,” he added.
Commenting on the PDP core group meeting on Sunday, Omar said the people of the State were expecting some announcements but it appears it “will be business as usual when the business of governing resumes”.
Omar asked Mehbooba what she was waiting for when her party’s alliance with the BJP stands and no fresh negotiations are taking place.
“So why is the State under central rule? What are you waiting for, Mehbooba?”
He said she should “either rise to the occasion or else step back. The people of the State cannot be expected to wait for you to make up your mind.”
Taking a jibe at the PDP leader, the former Chief Minister said what Mehbooba has clarified is that “the Agenda for Alliance is ‘a sacred document’, the same document that only a few days ago had been termed a failure by your own senior colleague.
“Thank you for clarifying that no new demands are being made of your allies, that no concessions are being sought. At least we know that it will be business as usual when the business of governing resumes.”
Omar said he would be terrified if he were in Mehbooba’s place.
“I can’t imagine how difficult it would be for you to take over without the benefit of your father’s guidance and wisdom to steer your decisions.
“Unfortunately, you don’t get to choose the circumstances under which you assume the responsibilities of the CM of J and K, but your fear cannot be grounds enough to deny the people an elected government.
“The road ahead will be rocky and you will not know who you can turn to for objective, impartial advice but you must either rise to the occasion or else step back. The people of the State cannot be expected to wait for you to make up your mind,” he said.
Omar said taking over now is not a sign of being power hungry, “but not taking over is certainly an abuse of the trust the people placed in you and your party”.
Nobody will beg KPs to return: Farooq
New Delhi: Twenty-six years after Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee the Valley, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah has put the blame on them for not returning to their homes.
“They have to realise that nobody is going to come with a begging bowl and say come and stay with us. They have to make the move,” he said.
He was speaking at the launch of a book of first hand narratives of stories of persecution and struggle by several generations of Pandits evicted from the State and who yearned to return to a peaceful co-existence with their Muslim neighbours.
Abdullah said that several Pandits who had made their homes in Delhi had come to see him when the J-K government asked them to return to the Valley.
“When the government made a move that the officers and doctors who are settled here should come back, they came to see me and said, look our children are now in schools here, our parents are ill and need medical care, we can’t leave them back. So for God’s sake let us live here,” he said.
“Don’t wait till the last guns stop firing. Come home!”, he urged, adding “Who are you waiting for? Don’t wait. You think Farooq Abdullah will come, hold your hand and take you there.”
Noting that it was tough unless they make the first move, Abdullah said, “Yes, onus is on them to come home.”
Kashmiri Pandits were driven out of their homeland in 1990 to live in exile and 26 years since then governments at both central and state levels have changed.
Myriad policies have also been formulated but “the rhetoric remains unchanged”, said Varad Sharma, who along with Siddharth Gigoo edited the book ‘A Long Dream of Home: The Persecution, Exodus and Exile of Kashmiri Pandits’.
Abdullah said he had made efforts to help the Pandits return to the Valley but they continued to remain skeptical.
“I met them as a Chief Minister and even after that, I have gone to their homes (to request them to return.) It’s not only me, but even Hurriyat leaders have come to you and told you to please come back,” the former Chief Minister said.
There have been several attempts in the past to rehabilitate the Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley by proposing the erection of townships but that, Gigoo said, “will not be home. It will be nothing less than a house arrest.”
According to Gigoo, Sharma and other contributors to the book, the Pandits essentially want “justice”, which means getting back their way of life – a peaceful co-existence with their neighbours, i.e. the Kashmiri Muslims and more importantly, no threat to their lives.
Sharma suggested for a “dialogue” to restore peace in the Valley.
According to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, the major impediment in the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits lies in the fear of losing their lives and homes all over again.
“Kashmiri Pandits will find reconciliation very difficult because they have gone through a deep sense of hurt and betrayal,” he said.
Despite assurances by authorities about “reduced militancy” in the State, Tharoor pointed out that the Pandits continue to reel under the post traumatic effect of their ouster that followed a massive devastation of property and loss of lives.
“Even though Farooq has his heart at the right place but even he cannot guarantee the security and nobody wants to be the guinea pig,” he said.
