I represent J&K people, speak their heart in Delhi: Omar

July 26, 2010 10:51 pm | Updated November 28, 2021 09:16 pm IST - SRINAGAR:

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. File photo: Kamal Narang

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. File photo: Kamal Narang

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said he represented the State people in New Delhi, advocated their cause and spoke their heart on all fora.

“I am not a person who speaks one language in Delhi and another in Srinagar. I am firm on my political and economic commitments to the people,” he told a citizens meeting in Kangan. It was he who raised the issue of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and vehemently advocated its amendment and gradual removal with the improvement in the situation. “Only in my regime a BSF commandant was arrested and handed over to the police for alleged human rights violation,” an official spokesman quoted Mr. Abdullah as saying.

“I am the only Chief Minister who categorically made it clear at Qazigund in front of the Prime Minister [Manmohan Singh] and the UPA chairperson [Sonia Gandhi] at the inauguration of a train service that Kashmir is not an economic issue but a political one and needs to be addressed politically. I have reiterated the same time and again on various national forums, including the recent National Development Council meeting,” Mr. Abdullah said adding that he would continue to stress on it.

Vote for development

The Chief Minister said that during the 2008 Assembly election campaign, he sought vote for development and economic issues while his government would facilitate resolution of political issues politically. “I stand by my promise and my every step is in this direction.”

Mr. Abdullah advocated need for sustained dialogue on the internal and external fronts. Whenever the external dialogue between India and Pakistan seemed to move forward in a positive direction and resolution appeared in sight, unfortunate events derailed the whole process. He cited the example of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah-Ayub Khan talks in Pakistan when in the middle of discussions, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru passed away and the talks got stalled.

“Similar incident happened when Lal Bahadur Shastri breathed his last while talking with Pakistan President at Tashkent,” Mr. Abdullah said and referred to the Kargil war and 26/11 Mumbai attacks, which once again derailed the dialogue process. “Let us all pray that the present parleys between the two neighbours move forward positively yielding befitting results.”

Trade ties

On the Jammu and Kashmir-centric confidence building measures, Mr. Abdullah strongly advocated communication and banking facilities between the traders across the Line of Control to strengthen and expand the trade links. He stressed on enhancing the people-to-people contacts at various levels. “Travel should not be restricted to the members of the separated families. It should be open to all people living on either side of the LoC.”

He said lockouts and hartals only led to retrogression on all fronts. “The stakeholders of peace in Jammu and Kashmir, including separatists, should realise their responsibility and role towards society and political issues.” Dialogue was the only way forward to find out solution to the problems and this platform was available to every shade of opinion.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.