Omar warns against fiddling with special status

Srinagar, Feb 25: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Chief Omar Abdullah has said ensuring elections take place in Jammu and Kashmir will be a test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handling of Kashmir in last five years.

“Will the Modi government bow before those forces of separatism and terror that have always sought to disrupt/delay polls in J&K or will polls take place on schedule? The moment of truth for PM Modi’s handling of Kashmir over the last 5 years,” Omar Abdullah tweeted on Monday.

Omar Abdullah added that the Centre and governor have only one responsibility right now that is to hold elections.”So, hold elections, let people take the decision, the new government will itself work towards safeguarding Article 35A,” former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister said.

Omar said baring the odd by-election all elections after 1995-96 have taken place on schedule.”Will PM Modi be able to keep to this schedule or will he accept he’s totally mishandled J&K? The next few days will give us the answer,” Omar tweeted.

Later in the day, he warned the Centre and Governor-led administration against any attempts to fiddle with Article 35-A.

“I am not threatening you (Centre and Governor) but warn you as a responsible citizen that you are not dealing with Article 35-A issue properly. You are threatening people of Jammu and Kashmir over Article 35-A,” Omar said in his address at the party headquarters here, where former bureaucrat Farooq Ahmad Shah joined the National Conference.

He warned that the situation would become “worse” than Arunachal Pradesh if attempts were made to fiddle with Article 35-A.

“I want to tell the Centre to check the situation in Arunachal Pradesh. There is no militancy or stone-pelting there. The state has been set on fire by fiddling with the Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC). The situation has become so bad that people there have set fire to the house of deputy chief minister,” the National Conference leader said.

Violence in Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar began on Thursday as a protest against the probability of granting Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC) to members of six communities.

“They shall leave the Article 35-A issue to the elected government. The Article 35-A has to be protected. I don’t understand why they want to divide only Muslims. Why there is no front in Jammu?” Omar asked.

Omar said that his party welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement denouncing attacks on Kashmiris in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack.

“Although, it took him too long to come out against the unwarranted and targeted violence being orchestrated against Kashmiris putting up across the country. But his words won’t make any difference unless they are put into implementation,” he said.

He said that Kashmiris are being attacked even after PM’s statement. “On August 15, Narendra Modi said that Kashmir issue cannot be solved by bullets or abuses, but only by hugs. But these words are to be put into implementation,” he said.

He said that Kashmiris don’t support the violence and gun. “But conspiracies are being hatched to target the state. What is our fault? Who so ever talks about dialogue is being labeled as anti-national. India and Saudi Arabia issued a joint statement that composite dialogue shall be held,” he said.

He said that government was issuing orders to created panic.

He said it was the responsible for the Centre and Governor to bring peace in Jammu and Kashmir for the elections.

In his address, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said that war between India and Pakistan would only bring the destruction.
“Pakistan shall make efforts to eliminate terrorism from its soil. If they don’t do that then Pakistan would be called as sponsor for terrorism,” he said.

He said that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan sent his MP to India, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

“Hope there is now improvisation in their relations,” he said.

He said there were many people in India who were resorting to anti-Muslim agenda.

“We shall follow the path of Islam and won’t let them to succeed in their designs. Islam teaches us to spread love not hatred,” he added.

Farooq Shah, who last week quit the civil who quit the government service last week joined the National Conference on Monday, said, he would work

for the welfare of people.“I will work for strengthen the NC. It is a political platform to solve the problems of people,” he added.