‘Sheikh, not Mufti had envisioned opening of LoC routes’
Khansahab: Star campaigner of the ruling National Conference, Farooq Abdullah Tuesday said the economic progress in J&K was subject to peace and cooperation between India and Pakistan. Speaking to an impressive gathering in this remote township of Budgam district, Abdullah surprisingly chose to depart from promising development in lieu of vote in his favor.
Recalling a bold speech by chief minister Omar Abdullah in presence of Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the NC patriarch said, “It was Omar who candidly said that Kashmir issue was not about governance or finances. He has already said the peace and development would not come with money. He didn’t hesitate in admitting that the solution to Kashmir problem would open ways for progress and development.”
Farooq Abdullah said that his father and Kashmir’s most popular yet most controversial leader Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was one of the biggest advocates of Indo-Pak friendship. “It was Sheikh Sahib who envisioned the opening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarbad Road and permanent economic and cultural exchanges between two side of the Line of Control.”
Asserting that various important Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) including the opening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad Road were fruits of sustained diplomatic engagement between New Delhi and Islamabad and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had nothing to do with the conception or implementation of these historic steps to bring people of the two sides closer to each other.
“However, Mufti Sayeed has always invested most of his time and energy in claiming credit for the achievements and work of other people and this is something that PDP has now adopted as its official policy. While political marketing of actual achievements is a common part of politics now, marketing of non-existent work and lying is something that PDP has achieved a specialization in,” Farooq said while heaping taunts on his rival Mufti Sayeed.
Reiterating the partial revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Farooq said his son and chief minister Omar Abdullah boldly advocated for removal of this draconian law while being in power. ” PDP leaders chose to stay mum about these issues while they were in power but enacted theatrical, cosmetic dramas while in the opposition as a fig-leaf for sabotaging day-to-day governance in the State.”
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