Jammu: National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Tuesday asked Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to accept responsibility for the killing of civilians during the last six-month unrest in the valley.
Speaking on the second day of the Budget Session in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, the former chief minister said there had also been unrest in the valley in 2008 and 2010 but the opposition was not blamed for that.
“The situation in 2010 cannot be compared with that of 2016. We did not blame Pakistan or the opposition for the situation. I did not blame my officials in 2010. We made mistakes and I accepted making mistakes while handling the situation,” he said.
He further said that the state government completely failed in dealing with the situation after the killing of militant Burhan Wani on July 8 last year and added that the Chief Minister should accept the responsibility for the failure of her administration.
“Mehbooba Mufti ji you blamed Jawharlal Nehru , Sheikh Abdullah , Indira Gandhi but never have you said that it was your fault , the people of the state want to know that for the first time in history that such a long curfew was imposed,” he added.
Demands Mehboobas Resignation
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah Tuesday demanded that Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti resign for adopting a “casual” approach and taking wrong steps to control the situation during the unrest in the Valley.
“Do you find yourself responsible for the situation?… If anyone is responsible for it, it is you and your government,” he said in the state Assembly.
Abdullah said the chief minister has not right to continue if she was unwilling to take responsibility.
“You do not have any right to sit on the chief minister’s chair if you are unwilling to take responsibility for the situation. The leader has to own his mistakes and learn from it,” he said.
The former J&K chief minister said when the news of the killing of three militants, including Burhan Wani, trickled in, “from the experience we have, we got to know the situation was not good”.
“When you heard that one of those killed was Burhan Wani, did you analyse the situation properly? What was your preparation? When we talked to the officers, we came to know that a casual approach was adopted to deal with the situation,” he said.
“Surprisingly, the situation was by and large normal where Wani was buried but the rest of the Valley was on fire. Wrong steps were taken one after another.
“There was no governance and it was not known whether the situation was being handled from Srinagar or New Delhi. Different statements came from different people who had nothing to do with the situation,” he said.
The ADG of CID had told a press conference that the chief minister, who also holds the home portfolio, was informed about the encounter, the NC leader said.
“We want to know how much the chief minister was aware of the situation and what steps she took after that,” he said.
The situation worsened after July 8. People died and many were injured. After a few days, the chief minister said accountability would be fixed if excessive force was used. But she said parents should control their children and keep them at home, he said.”We know it is difficult to control kids after a certain age, but shifting government’s responsibilities to others is not justified. I am aware that when a reply would come from treasury benches, they would refer to 2008 and 2010.
“You cannot compare 2008 and 2010 to 2016. I have never held anybody else responsible for 2010. I never blame the parents of those kids for that situation,” Omar said.
He said he never blamed Pakistan or his officers for the violence in 2010 and did not make anyone a scapegoat or point fingers at Opposition.
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