Sajid Raina
Srinagar, Apr 9: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said that no government ever has tolerated the terrorism on the soil of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said, “No government has ever tolerated the terrorism. At least the government I was associated with never tolerated it. We should take J&K to the position where I left in 2014 when the terrorism was at its lowest ebb. In 2014 entire Jammu was free from terror while in Kashmir there were hardly 2 districts where terrorists were active.”
“So we too had zero tolerance against the terrorism. Today also, we want an end to the terrorism. But, I reiterate that without public support, terrorism cannot be eliminated. It is important to take the people along. The elected members will play their role in this regard,” he said.
About statehood restoration, the Chief Minister said, “The statehood is our right. It has been promised to us and I hope that the process in this regard will be started soon.”
He said that a large chunk of people are depressed and anguished with the passage of Waqf Amendment Bill and the elected members tried to raise the issue in the House. “The people believe that through this Act the government is trying to interfere in their religious matters and the members too tried to raise this public issue in the House,” he said.
However, he said that there was no need for this Act as a particular religion is being targeted only. “Every religion has its own organizations but through this Act, the non-Muslims are now being asked to review the activity of Waqf. Do you allow the non-Hindus or non-Sikhs to review the activities of the Shrine Board, Golden Temple or other religious organizations? This is what the members wanted to convey and now the party has probably decided to approach the Supreme Court. Let them approach the court and let it decide the matter,” he said.
Furthermore, the Chief Minister blamed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir. “Ones who aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and remained silent during critical times are now leveling allegations against me for clicking a picture with the Union Minister. They are the ones who sat in BJP’s lap and talked about milk and toffees, and watched the destruction of Jammu and Kashmir without raising their voice,” CM Omar added.
He said some members used a photograph taken with a Union Minister during a “chance meeting” at the Tulip Garden to raise questions about him. “I had taken my father to the garden, and a Union Minister happened to be present. He asked for a photograph with me. What was I supposed to do, refuse or misbehave? I took the photo,” Omar said.
He added that using such a picture to target him was unjust, especially by those who helped BJP to enter into Jammu and Kashmir politics. “These are the same people who have never apologised to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the 2016 killings,” he said.
The J&K Chief Minister said, “Many strange things have taken place in his absence in the House.” However, he was quick to add, “Elected representatives are expected to raise public concerns inside the Assembly. If we don’t raise people’s issues in the House, where else will we raise them?.”
Responding to a question about India-China relationship, he said, “If relations with China are getting better, it is good. If China is ready to agree that Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh are part of India then it will be a positive move.”
