Jammu , November 16: In a press statement issued by
Bharatiya Janata Party, it has expressed fear that wavering stand and
conflicting statements of Dr. Farooq Abdullah, MP and President of Jammu &
Kashmir National Conference are pushing the Kashmiri youth towards extremism.
Brig Anil Gupta, State Spokesperson of the party is of the view that, “The
recent statements of Dr Abdullah who is perceived as a pro-establishment
politician by the Kashmiri youth have added to the confusion in the young minds
who are already faced with a dilemma of politics versus religion. Let down by
politicians like Farooq and other members of his bandwagon, they are
gravitating towards radicalisation. Terrorists like Zakir Musa are emerging as
new icons. The reality is that disillusioned Kashmiri youth is looking for
direction. They want to join the national mainstream but when leaders like
Farooq Abdullah parrot the Pakistani leaders and make pro-Pakistan statements,
they are compelled to re-think.”
Ridiculing his statement that POJK
belongs to Pakistan, Brig Gupta questioned Dr Farooq to clarify asto why his
father Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah refused to allot evacuee properties in Jammu to
POJK refugees on the plea that one day POJK will be liberated and all these
people will go back to their houses and vice-versa? Why 24 seats have been
earmarked in J&K Assembly for POJK andremain officially vacant as per
Section 48 of the Jammu and Kashmir constitution? Why they are not being allotted
to POJK refugees or Kashmiri Pandits?
The fact is that of late Dr Farooq is
acting as a ‘voice of Pakistan’ in the Valley. After the Prime Minister of
Pakistan denounced the concept of “Azadi” for Kashmir, he also came out with a
ditto statement unmindful of his earlier statements on the subject. He is
repeatedly talking of Pakistan as a nuclear nation, giving credence to the
statements of Pakistani political and military leadership resorting to ‘nuclear
blackmail’ of India, conveniently forgetting Kargil operations and recent
surgical strikes which were conducted in the back drop of a nuclear Pakistan,
reminded Brig Gupta. Nuclear weapons are weapons of deterrence and not
war-fighting, Dr Abdullah should stop creating fear psychosis among the common
masses, advised the spokesperson.
The lingering fear of Kashmiri speaking
Muslims becoming a minority and Sheikh Abdullah virtually losing the race to Premiership to some
non-Kashmiri speaking leader made Sheikh to convince the then Prime Minister Nehru
to announce a unilateral ceasefire, when Indian Army was poised to liberate the
remaining parts of the state, resulting in creation of PoJK. With PoJK premier
Raja Farooq Haider Khan demanding reunification with India, the same fear is
haunting his son Farooq now and that is why he wants POJK to remain permanently
with Pakistan, apprehended Brig Gupta. Rather than liberating POJK as promised
by his father and the unanimous resolution passed by Indian Parliament, Dr
Abdullah has meekly submitted to the Pak narrative which has added to the
confusion of Kashmiri youth, reiterated the spokesperson.
