Srinagar: Opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir slammed the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over his remarks about the security of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peoples Conference (PC) leaders accusing him of taking a U-turn.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in an interview with a TV channel had linked the increased security provided to Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to a decline in separatist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that it would have been unimaginable earlier for Mirwaiz to be provided with a CRPF cover.
As per the news agency KNO, PDP MLA from Pulwama, Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, in a post on X, accused the Chief Minister of taking complete U-turn from his election campaign and manifesto.
“Dear OmarAbdullah Sahab, Since you are now endorsing peace—If Kashmir appears peaceful today, it is due to UAPA, PSA, NIA, attachment of houses and assets, constant profiling, verification, the lodgment of prisoners outside under stringent laws, and the sacking of employees under 311. This is a complete U-turn from your election campaign and manifesto. Your endorsement now is nothing but a ratification of the iron-fist approach against Kashmiris,” it reads.
“If there is no separatist activity today, it is due to tougher measures against separatist and the ban on Hurriyat and Jamaat. And if Mirwaiz Sahab has been given security, it is not for his safety but because his vulnerability has increased. Singling out Mirwaiz only puts him at greater risk, knowing well that his family has already paid a heavy price. The truth is, like hundreds of others, even graves, shrines, and mosques are guarded by JKP and CRPF. So why make an issue if Mirwaiz is?” Parra wrote.
Peoples Conference (PC) president Sajad Gani Lone said that he was not surprised with the statement of Omar Abdullah.
“I may have millions of disagreements with Mirwaiz Umar Farooq sahib. But that his father was martyred is a reality. My father was martyred too. Even the date of martyrdom is the same and my father had gone to Idgah to commemorate the martyrdom of Mirwaiz Mohammed Farooq sahib and was shot there,” Lone wrote.
Lone further wrote that “CM sahib—we are victims. We know what a violent death is. Our fathers were killed. Incidentally my father was killed under the watch of your father when he was the Chief Minister.”
“And yes. He did not provide him security despite having clear inputs from the CID that there is likelihood of him being attacked. He did not provide me security when I wanted to go for his funeral. The Divisional Commissioner at that time came and expressed inability to provide security. You know what your statements mean. Your mention of so called security for Mirwaiz is what we know as — speak to kill— in the last 3 decades,” Lone wrote.
“You always had one of the highest security covers in India. And does it behoove you to act like a white collar killer and make statements which greatly increase the threat perception of a person. Loose talk. Cruel talk. Killer talk. What a shame??? And Wallah, I am not surprised,” he wrote.
Mirwaiz’s office has also strongly condemned Omar Abdullah’s statement. Mirwaiz Manzil called Omar Abdullah’s comments “nonsensical” and “highly regrettable,” asserting that as a leader, he is expected to speak with responsibility and understanding of the circumstances.
The statement criticized his remarks as being in poor taste and reflective of personal insecurities.
It emphasized that such statements only deepen public disillusionment, particularly among the already distressed and repressed people of Kashmir. (With inputs from KNO)
