Srinagar, Jul 06: National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah Saturday said his party would not allow changes in Jammu and Kashmir’s demography and any attempt to dilute the unique identity of the state would be resisted tooth and nail.
Abdullah, according to a party press release, while addressing a public gathering in Nowpora locality of the city here, claimed that the Muslim character of the state has troubled those forces that are inimical to the very identity and integrity of the state.
“There are forces whose sole agenda is to dilute the very pluralistic fabric of our state. NC won’t allow any changes in the demography of the state. Any attempt to dilute the unique identity of the state will be resisted tooth and nail,” he said.
The Member Parliament from Srinagar, while hitting out at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), claimed that the party “allowed the fascists to make inroads in our state”.
“Unfortunately, such forces as are inimical to the identity of our state are using local henchmen to pursue their agenda. The mushrooming of political outfits in the valley is also suggestive of the nefarious agenda of such forces as want to demean and divide the voice of the people, particularly the Muslims,” the NC president claimed.
He said it was unfortunate that no powerful Muslim voice “was allowed to surface on the political landscape of India and what is happening in Kashmir, cannot be singled out”.
“Sher-e-Kashmir (NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah) had prophesied that after his death, the one man political outfits will be propped up in every nook and corner of the state. The main agenda of the right wing extremists is to eliminate the powerful voice of the Muslims in the state,” Abdullah said.
Pointing towards Governor S P Malik-led state administrative council (SAC), he said “today we see a group of people at the helm of affairs in our state that are not representative in character”.
He underscored the need of having a popularly-elected government in the state.
“How can a few advisors of SAC rise up to the expectations of the people of the state? Today, we see how miserably the common population is being treated. The disdain with which the people are being treated speaks volumes about the contempt the incumbent Governor administration has for the local population,” he said.
Referring to the restrictions on the movement of civilian traffic on a stretch of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway from Nashri to Qazigund for over five hours due to the Amarnath Yatra, Abdullah said on one hand, Governor says the Yatra would not have been possible without the active support of the local population, but on the other hand, the same lot of people “is subjected to collective detention through highway curbs”.
“Nowhere in the world is the civilian population treated in such a discourteous manner. Had there been a civilian government in place, situation would have been much different today. Today our institutions, our very identity, the territorial integrity of our state is under threat from forces as have traditionally wanted to obliterate and dissolve our special character,” he alleged.
Abdullah said the annual budget announced by the government Friday had nothing in its kitty for the state and turned out to be a “damp squib”.
He asked the people of the state to show unity and not get overwhelmed by the prejudices of caste, creed or sect.
