Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah on Saturday (September 21, 2024) retorted Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s accusations that “the NC was responsible for terrorism and killing of 40,000 people in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)”.
“They (BJP) set (Jaish-e-Muhammad chief) Masood Azhar free in Kandahar (Afghanistan), who was caught by our brave police force. He (Azhar) shot my cousin,” Mr. Farooq said.
Mr. Farooq was the Chief Minister of J&K when the BJP-led Centre decided to exchange three top militants, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Masood Azhar, and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, in exchange for the hostages of the IC814 flight in 1999.
Referring to Mr. Shah’s statements made in election rallies in J&K, Mr. Farooq said the BJP leadership kept parroting “three families and loot everywhere”. “Why did the BJP join hands with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to patronise Mufti Muhammad Sayeed and form a joint government? All the BJP wants is to make Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs fight each other,” he said.
In response to Mr. Shah’s allegations on deaths in Kashmir, Mr. Omar said, “Out of the 40,000 militancy victims that Amit Shah counted, one is standing here with me.” He was referring to Member of Parliament Aga Syed Ruhullah, whose father, Aga Syed Mustafa Moosavi, was assassinated in an IED blast on November 3, 2000.
Published - September 21, 2024 11:05 pm IST
