The mainstream political parties of Jammu & Kashmir, especially the National Conference (NC) was supposed to oppose separatist and Jihadi elements and work towards a solution to the Kashmir insurgency, but looks like hunger for political power has blinded the party and its leadership.
Yesterday, the entire nation was shocked when Pakistan decided to award death penalty to Indian national Kulbushan Jadhav for allegedly indulging in espionage activities in Balochistan. Both Indian and international agencies are questioning the lack of evidence and possible lack of procedures during the whole matter. We had also reported how there were glaring contradictions in the alleged confession statement of Jadhav and in the statements of various Pak authorities.
But even after all the reports, National Conference leader and brother of former J&K CM Farooq Abdullah, Mustafa Kamal stated that it wasn’t correct for India to point fingers at Pakistan regarding this issue:
Its implementation of law by Pak. Not correct for India to point fingers, being the largest democracy: Mustafa Kamal, NC #KulbhushanJadhav pic.twitter.com/g9AN9RPj21
— ANI (@ANI_news) April 11, 2017
Such respect for (Pakistani) laws and procedures was totally missing in Kamal when in 2012 he had questioned the Indian legal system for awarding capital punishment to terrorist Afzal Guru in the Parliament attack case.
What signal is a senior NC leader sending out by questioning judgments of the Supreme Court of India but accepting judgment of a court of Pakistan?
If this was not enough, NC members today openly shouted anti-India slogans in the valley today. What was worse is that they were joined by the members of the Congress party:
#WATCH J&K: National Conference & Congress members surround Anantnag DC & raise “Indian democracy murdabad” slogans over deferred by-polls pic.twitter.com/Noq7okejwI
— ANI (@ANI_news) April 11, 2017
The situation in the Kashmir valley has worsened in recent days with only 7% voter turnout and 200 instances of violence reported during the Kashmir by-elections. In view of that, it was decided to defer the elections in the Anantnag parliamentary constituency. But instead of helping the situation, NC decided to stoke the fire.
It raises the question again if the party of Abdullahs have now decided to go rogue. In 2012, when his brother had questioned the hanging of terrorist Afzal Guru, Farooq Abdullah had condemned his statement. But it turns out that after going out of power, the Abdullah father-son duo too seem to have started whipping up separatist and Jihadi sentiments.
In December last year, Senior Abdullah was quoted as extending his party’s full support to the Hurryat to aid their separatist struggle for the Kashmiri Azadi cause while addressing his party workers at the mausoleum of his father and founder of the National Conference, late Sheikh Abdullah. A couple of weeks before that, he had commented on India’s claim over Pakistan Occupied Kashmir by saying ‘Kya ye (POK) tumhare baap ka hai?
Senior Abdullah has continued his separatist juggernaut and on 5th April was quoted as saying that stone pelters were giving up their lives for the resolution of the Kashmiri issue. He also claimed that the stone pelter was pelting stones for his nation. What resolution and what nation is he talking about was something that intrigued everyone.
Even junior Abdullah has been recorded making controversial and extremist statements such as:
Mark my words – Burhan’s ability to recruit in to militancy from the grave will far outstrip anything he could have done on social media.
— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) July 9, 2016
Earlier he had also made comments terming hanging of Afzal Guru a ‘political‘ move, thus hinting that it was not a fair judgment.
Whatever political mileage Abdullahs are trying to derive for their party through these utterings, it surely is at the cost of Indian interests.
