Srinagar- National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said he is fighting for the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir, and it is not necessary that “I have to go to the assembly” to wage this struggle.
Speaking to reporters in the Tangdhar area of Kupwara, he said there are other platforms outside the assembly to fight for the rights of the people.
“I have said this before that I will not go to the UT’s assembly,” he said, when asked about his earlier remarks that he would not contest the assembly polls as long as J-K was a union territory.
“So, I have not said something new. I stand by my word. I am fighting for statehood, article 370, pride and dignity of the people, and for such a fight, it is not necessary that I have to go to the assembly. I can fight from outside the assembly. There are many platforms where I can fight such a fight,” he said.
Among other issues, he called for a probe into the claims by several opposition leaders that they received an alert from Apple warning them of “state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise” their iPhones.
Abdullah said Israeli software Pegasus had been used in the country before as well to snoop on people.
“The (latest) allegations did not come from the MPs. They have received a warning from Apple, which has told them that attempts were being made illegally by state actors to infiltrate their phones. There should be an investigation into it because before also, Israeli software Pegasus has been sold to this country and it was used in this country to snoop on people,” he said.
The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said Apple should share all the details “and after investigation, all the facts be brought before the public”.
Cong, NC Slam BJP Over UT Foundation Day, Demand Restoration Of Statehood, Early Elections
The Congress and the National Conference on Tuesday lashed out at the BJP over the observance of the Union Territory Foundation Day in Jammu and Kashmir and demanded the restoration of statehood and early Assembly polls.
While the Congress staged a peaceful protest here, the NC said the bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir has demeaned the glory of the Dogra community.
Both parties demanded the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir and a democratically elected government.
On August 5, 2019, the Centre revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcated it into union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The over hour-long protest led by Pradesh Congress Committee president Vikar Rasool Wani outside party headquarters at Shaheedi Chowk was part of the party’s announcement of observing the fourth UT foundation day by the Jammu and Kashmir administration as “black day”.
Carrying placards in support of their demand for restoration of statehood and holding of early assembly elections, the protesters, including former ministers and legislators, raised slogans against the UT administration — that held a series of functions across all the 20 districts to celebrate the day — and the BJP.
Senior NC leader Rattan Lal Gupta said the BJP has rubbed salt into the wounds of the people of Jammu and Kashmir by celebrating the foundation day.
“It has demeaned the glory of the Dogra community as it was on this day that the erstwhile J&K state was downgraded and cut into pieces,” Gupta, who is the Jammu provincial president of the party, said.
He said people having the slightest idea of the formation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir know well how bravely Dogra ruler Maharaja Gulab Singh and his late General Zorawar Singh fought to expand his empire up to China and Tibet thus making it one of the biggest states in the country.
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