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| NC chief's statement on separatists' house arrest a 'drama' | | Omar Abdullah's hands 'are full of blood,' say Kashmiris | | ET Report
Srinagar, Aug 21: J&K's former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's 'frustration' after remaining out of power for nearly a year is only growing by the day, prompting him to "indulge in theatrics."
That is the impression gaining currency in the Valley, as many Kashmiris reacted to Omar's statement, after the Government placed three senior separatist leaders under house arrest, and released them abruptly, with a grain of salt.
Omar on Thursday took to social networking site Twitter-the National Conference president's favourite past time has earned him the sobriquet 'Twitter boy'-to target the PDP-BJP coalition, especially Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
"Shame on Mufti Sayeed for arresting on demand. He had no business other than following his master's orders and detaining the Hurriyat leaders like this," Omar wrote.
The Hurriyat leaders-Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik-have been invited to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Sunday, the day before Pakistan's National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz is scheduled to hold talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval.
"If the Centre was so keen to prevent the Hurriyat leaders from meeting Sartaj Aziz, they should have been told to detain themselves," Omar added.
What Omar declared in his next tweet was that previous State Governments (read his six-year tenure from 2009-2015 as well) "had never detained any separatist leader like this so as to prevent them from visiting Pak High Commission."
Police records, however, belie Omar's claims, and there is little in his six year-tenure turbulent that would inspire any confidence.
Sharing the details with Early Times, a police official said one separatist leader alone was put under house arrest for nearly four years during the NC-Congress six-year rule. The official was referring to Syed Ali Shah Geelani who was not allowed to offer even congregational Friday prayers during the Omar Government.
"Many other separatist leaders were also detained quite often," said the official, as he insisted he shouldn't be named.
On whose orders was police detaining the separatists or placing them under house arrest? "Obviously on the CM's orders. We knew we were earning the wrath and scorn of the people, but we got orders and there was no question of defying them," the official shot back.
Meanwhile, a number of ordinary Kashmiris who spoke to Early Times said Omar's statement on the separatists' house arrest was nothing but "a drama".
"If the National Conference's arrogant president who has virtually got nothing in his CV to call himself a Kashmiri, wanted to strike a chord with the people of Kashmir (through his statement), then he has failed and failed miserably," said Zahoor Ahmad, a college lecturer.
Zahoor recalled how Omar failed to deal with the 2010 agitation in the Valley which erupted after a teenager, Tufail Mattoo, died in police action in downtown Srinagar in June 2010.
"Remember how Omar Abdullah was holidaying in Gulmarg along with his wife and two children when Tufail was brutally murdered by the cops," Zahoor asked.
"If he had taken his job seriously and not dealt with the situation in a cavalier manner, we wouldn't have lost 120 youths in the 2010 agitation," Zahoor said.
Abdul Ahad, a grocery owner, went to the extent of saying that Omar's hands were "full of blood."
Ahad said his son was arrested and detained for two years under Public Safety Act on charges of stone pelting in 2010. "My son was not a stone-thrower. You can confirm this from my neighbours. A corrupt SHO had demanded Rs 40,000 for my son's release. When I couldn't grease the palms of the officer, he booked my son under PSA."
"But I blame," Ahad said, "Omar Abdullah only. The police was acting on his orders only. He destroyed lives of my son and hundreds of other young boys. His hands are full of blood. Allah will punish him."
Another trader, a resident of Bahuddin Sahab in downtown Nowhatta said: "The public memory is short indeed. It's not so short, however, that the people of Kashmir would forget how five years ago they had to bury their young boys, thanks to Omar Abdullah."
"If the National Conference's arrogant president, who has virtually got nothing in his CV to call himself a Kashmiri, wanted to strike a chord with the people of Kashmir (through his statement), then he has failed and failed miserably," said Zahoor Ahmad, a college lecturer |
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