Monitor News Bureau
Srinagar, Mar 10: President National Conference (NC) Farooq Abdullah on Sunday said there was a need to work in unity in order to “defeat the forces attempting to divide country on religious, relgional and sectarian lines.”
“The critical situation which country is facing demands all to work in unity in order defeat the forces as are bent to divide the country on religious, regional and sectarian lines,” he said while addressing a meet of party functionaries and workers at his Jammu residence.
Farooq said there were forces in the country who he said are attempting to vitiate the atmosphere for petty electoral gains. “We are facing a time when the importance of national unity and inter-religious harmony has increased. In today’s world harmony and unity are indispensable for achieving much anticipated development goals,” he said adding, “Particularly in a country like India, it becomes imperative for all of us to work positively towards trouncing such forces as are hell bent to destroy our pluralistic ethos that has always been the hall mark of India.”
Farooq while addressing the gathering said, “The constitution of India is a social document that confers upon its citizenry some basic unbridgeable rights. The founding fathers of our nation were well aware of the complexities that characterize the Indian society. However, there are forces that have all along shown contempt for the ideals enshrined in the constitution of India; we have to make it a point to trounce such forces in the forthcoming general elections,” he said.
On the occasion former chief engineer Abdul Hameed Sheikh joined J&K National Conference.
Welcoming new entrants into the party Farooq said, “I am hopeful that Hameed sahab will work towards making the party stronger at grass roots. Party will definitely benefit from the administrative acumen of Hameed Sahib.”
“National Conference right from its inception has given voice to the voiceless. We have a legacy of service and sacrifice. We will continue to strive for the restoration of autonomy. Our state is a peculiar state with its own set of problems and issues, and it is the autonomy only that can satiate the development needs of all the regions of our state. Besides that the move of granting autonomy will go a long way in cleaning the cobwebs of mistrust between New Delhi and Srinagar.”
Among others senior party functionaries Rattan Lal Gupta, Haji Sheikh Bashir Ahmad, Ex-MLC Haji Muhammad sultan Wani, Bimla Luthra, Pradeep Bali, Reyaz Malik, Haroon Choudhary and other YNC functionaries were also present on the occasion.
In another function , the NC president said, “The Qur’an speaks about the basic dignity of all human beings regardless of their race, color, language or ethnicity. The religion of Islam recognizes the right to life, property, family, honor and conscience of all people. From the very beginning, freedom of religion has been guaranteed by Islam. It prohibits coercion in matters of faith and belief.”
He added, “Tolerance has always been the essential ingredient in the social life of Kashmir. The people of Kashmir have never allowed bigotry and communal frenzy overwhelm them in most of the trying times.”
