Omar says Mufti sabotaged Indo-Pak NSA talks
National Conference (NC) President and three-time chief minister, Farooq Abdullah Tuesday asked Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed to deliver proper compensation to the flood victims or quit office.Speaking to NC workers at the mausoleum of Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah on his 33rd death anniversary, Farooq said Mufti had no business being in power if he could not deliver as a CM and provide compensation to last year’s flood victims.
“I don’t have any personal problems with Mufti but if he formed a government, he should run it well and provide relief to people,” he said. “However, if Mufti fails to give relief, he should not stick to chair and should have the courage to leave the chair.”
The former chief minister said people of the State were in a big problem as winters were coming and many people did not have homes yet while the situation of shopkeepers, who lost all their merchandise in floods, was bad.
The State government had sent a proposal of Rs 44,000 crore to Government of India for rehabilitating the flood-hit people of the State but New Delhi has been sitting over the proposal for around one year.
“I appeal New Delhi to sanction relief to the people to save them,” Farooq said.
Kashmir was hit by devastating floods last September in which around 300 people died and property worth billions of rupees was damaged.
Farooq also urged New Delhi and Islamabad to exhibit restraint along the Line of Control (LoC).
“LoC will not be changed but it is the poor people on both sides of Kashmir, who are getting killed,” he said.
Farooq also referred to the former BJP Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s speech at Tangdar in which he mentioned that ‘friends can be changed but not neighbours’ and extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan for peaceful and amicable resolution of all issues.
He urged New Delhi and Islamabad to resolve Kashmir issue through talks.
“Bombs won’t help us move forward,” the former chief minister said. “Threats against one another won’t achieve us anything.”
Farooq also urged Hurriyat leadership to persuade Islamabad to give up war rhetoric and explore a process of dialogue.
He also termed the issue of Dogra certificate raised by Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh as a means to divide Jammu Kashmir.
Speaking on the sidelines of the function, National Conference Working President and former chief minister Omar Abdullah said accused the Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed of sabotaging the National Security Adviser level talks between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Omar said by arresting the Hurriyat leadership, Mufti had prevented them from meeting the Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi.
“Now he says NSA talks should have been held,” Omar said. “If anyone sabotaged those talks, it’s you.”
Omar said PDP had declined the offer of support from NC citing that it would come in way of flow of funds from New Delhi.
“Where are the funds now,” he said. “When will Mufti sahab do justice with the flood victims.”
Earlier, while addressing party workers, Omar said the State government had Rs 30 crores for cars of its ministers and for six new cars for the Chief Minister but did not have even a penny to spare for the poor flood victims.
“Today I ask Mufti Sahab where are the funds that compelled you to enter into an alliance with the BJP and the RSS,” Omar said. “This government has absolutely nothing to offer to the flood victims and to the people of the State at large.”
He said the biggest tragedy was not the indifference of the Narendra Modi government toward the flood victims in Kashmir but the shameful reality that our State’s Finance Minister demonized and ridiculed the Rs 44,000 crore flood relief and rehabilitation package submitted by the previous NC-led government.
“Even if I or Farooq sahab have a lot of shortcomings, but never were Hurriyat leaders arrested to prevent them from meeting Pakistani leaders in the 12 years that we ruled the State,” he said.
Omar also blamed Islamabad for deliberately creating obstacles in the way of dialogue.
“The atmosphere being created is not a good thing as a threat after threat is given instead of creating a good atmosphere,” he said. “The NSA talks did not happen and now the DGMO talks are in danger.”
