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Srinagar: Reacting sharply to the statement of NC leader Nasir Aslam Wani in which he stated that alliance with Congress proved disastrous for the NC, JKPCC’ Spokesperson Ravinder Sharma questioned who forced NC to go for alliance, rather it is well known in political circles who pressed hard for a pre-poll alliance in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections.

According to a statement issued to KNS, he said that if the pre poll alliance was not in the interests of our coalition partner, they could have opted for the other course. The Congressmen had already aired their views and shown their reservation for pre-poll alliance for various reasons. “The people are fully aware of this fact, apart from Congress high command, as later agreed to the wishes of alliance partner.”

Sharma said that Congress leadership and the entire rank & file of the party in the state campaigned extensively for the success of NC candidates in Kashmir valley and the votes secured by NC candidates included a major chunk of Congress voters. “To say that NC did not secure lead in Congress constituencies, then question arises as to why it failed to secure lead in the constituencies of NC ministers and legislators. It speaks volumes about the reasons for the defeat of NC candidates. He further said that the Congress feels that the governance needs to be improved enormously to come upto the expectations of people.”(KNS)

Srinagar: While commuting over the statement of expected future Prime Minister of India Narinder Modi “I will deliver justice from Kashmir to Kanyakumari”, chairman Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Geelani said that India is doing huge injustice with the Kashmiri nation and from last 6 decades this country is trying to suppress the freedom sentiment and right of self-determination of Kashmiri people. He said while addressing Narinder Modi that if justice will be done with Kashmiries then it will be really an act of welfare for the Indian as well as millions of Asian people and the whole South Asian region will enter the new era of peace, stability and development. In Sundays press release, Hurriyat chairman said that though the birth year of Modi is 1950, but he will be definitely aware of the tragedy of 1947 when only 72 days after the liberation of India and Pakistan from the forced occupation of Britain, India landed its troops in Jammu and Kashmir and forcibly enslaved the comparatively weak and unarmed people of Kashmir. Then India itself took this issue to UN where this international body also termed the occupation of Jammu and Kashmir as injustice and advocated that right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Indian rulers and its first Prime Minister himself have promised the Kashmiri people in parliament and in Lalchowck Srinagar that “India will not hold Kashmir forcibly with it and when situation will improve, Kashmiris will be given a chance to decide their future, which will be respected in any way. If Kashmiries will not decide to remain with India then it will be definitely painful for me, but we do not favour forced marriages”. According to a statement issued to KNS, Geelani said that India have done very injustice with the people of Kashmir by not fulfilling their promises and if future expected Prime Minister of India Mr. Modi is sincere about his promise of doing justice, then he should undertake to fulfill the broken promises and Kashmiries should be given a chance to choose their future by holding plebiscite in this state. Hurriyat chairman said that Narinder Modi expressed his sorrow for not contributing to the freedom movement of India, but he has a chance to understand the freedom movement of Kashmir in its real perspective and give them their right to self-determination. The pro-freedom leader said that the Kashmiri nation is struggling for their freedom from last 67 years and India want to suppress this just struggle by using its military might and she is doing grave injustice with Kashmiries in every possible ways. Not only lakhs of innocent people were killed but thousands of people have been subjected to enforced custodial disappearances and thousands of people are buried in unmarked and unclaimed graves. Indian judiciary has also miserably failed in providing justice to the oppressed people of Kashmir and Shaheed Mohammad Maqbool Bhat and Shaheed Mohammad Afzal Guru like sons of Kashmir have not only been hanged without completing the formalities of justice, but even their dead bodies were not returned to their families. Geelani Sahab said that if Narinder Modi is really serious in his promise of justice then first of all he should at least accept the injustice done with Kashmiries and then try to eliminate these injustices. Narinder Modi had said in his statement that ‘the new government will take decisions according to the wishes and aspiration of people’, but time will prove that these statements were given for the sake of statements or anything concrete or truth is hiding in these statements. Geelani said that the Kashmiri people are in no way enemies of India or its people but they want that justice should be done with them and their rights should be respected. (KNS)

NC starts retrospection, calls for series of meetings

Core Group to meet on Monday, party office bearers to meet on Tuesday

Srinagar: After facing a complete rout in Lok Sabha elections, the National Conference is all set to go for a formal retrospection at party level and a series of meetings have been called in this regard.

Reliable sources in the party told KNS that the party president Dr Farooq Abdullah will chair a meeting of the party core group comprising of over 20 members including some special invitees at party headquarters. Pertinently, Dr Farooq who was in Delhi to attend the last union cabinet meeting is arriving in valley on Monday.

According to a senior NC leader, the core group is scheduled to deliberate on various important issues that have surfaced after the ‘unexpected’ results in juts concluded Lok Sabha elections. A senior NC leader said as to know what led to a humiliating defeat of all three NC candidates despite having a good network of its cadres across the Valley, on Tuesday the National Conference high command has called for a meeting of its state, provincial, district upto block level party office bearers besides its legislators and the candidates who in vain fought the Lok Sabha elections this year at Nawah-e-Subh complex.

The meeting will deliberate on the probable reasons behind the defeat of coalition candidates especially in Kashmir valley. “All the MLAs, MLCs, district presidents, block presidents, district secretaries and the candidates who lost the elections have been invited to attend the meeting,” a senior NC leader told KNS wishing not to be named.

He said that the meeting will deliberate on key issues from pre-poll alliance with its coalition partner Congress, cross voting, impact of national issues, Afzal Guru hanging, 2010 killings, local developmental issues and a wide disconnect with the youth.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah held a meeting with some of his cabinet colleagues and party MLAs tacking stock of over political situation in the state. A senior leader of the NC who participated in the meeting said that they deliberated on various issues saying that a comprehensive strategy will be chalked out to gear up before the upcoming assembly elections in the state.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today sought feedback from people in order to know the causes behind the rejection of NC candidates in Lok Sabha elections.

Omar tweeted: “[email protected] is my email. I’d like to hear from you as to the reasons for the enormous setback (the) NC has faced in these elections.”

The chief minister informed the public that he has already started retrospection following the surprising defeat but wanted to have the feedback from the ground. “I’ve started the process of introspection and am listening to voices within the party but I need to hear from people other than colleagues (too). I want to learn, I need to learn. I’d like to try and make amends. I’ll give it my best shot and I’d rather fail trying than not try at all,” he wrote on the twitter.

Sources in the NC said that the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has taken the defeat of NC candidate very seriously as according to sources the same can have a ripple effect in the upcoming assembly elections. “What the NC leadership is worried is that its own ministers have not performed well in their respective constituencies. This can have serious impact on the overall party performance in the upcoming assembly elections,” a senior leader in NC told KNS, pleading anonymity.

The latest Lok Sabha electoral statistics show that opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that has bagged all three seats in Valley besides getting a considerable voter share in Jammu region has increased tally of its assembly segments from 19 to 39 this time.

What is worrying in these election commission figures is that out of the 20 assembly segments going in favour of PDP, its arch rival NC is losing 15 assembly segments including the most important five assembly segments in Srinagar city alone. Presently all the eight assembly segments in district Srinagar are represented by the National Conference in legislative assembly. (KNS)

‘Policy of suppression, oppression will be resisted strongly’

Srinagar: In connection with the Hafta Shohda Programme to remember shaheed-e-Milaat Moulvi Mohammad Farooq, Shaheed-e-Hurriyat Khwaja Abdul Gani lone, martyrs of Hawala and entire Kashmir, Hurriyat Conference (M) today organized a seminar titled “Hawal incident: a bloody chapter in Kashmir history” at Hurriyat headquarters at Rajbagh.

Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq In his inaugural address,  while paying rich tributes to Shaheed-e-Milaat, Shaheed-e-Hurriyat, martyrs of Hawala and entire Kashmir, said that their sacrifices for the cause were the priceless assets of the freedom struggle.

According to a statement issued to KNS, asserting that it was the duty of Kashmiris to protect the sacrifices of their martyrs for the success of freedom struggle, Mirwaiz stated that the so called claimants of democracy opened indiscriminate fire on the rally of mourners- mourning the martyrdom of Shaheed-e-Millat at hawal in 1990 during which they killed over 70 people and injured hundreds of others. He said that such example of brutality is rarely found in the history. He said that real motive of Hafta Shohda programme is to reaffirm the resolve to take the mission of martyrs, who laid their lives for the sacred cause, to its logical conclusion.

Stressing that Kashmir was standing at a crucial juncture, Mirwaiz stated that Kashmiris have to give loud and clear message to the world community that Kashmir was not a dispute of borders, neither it is an internal issue of India nor a problem of economic depravation, but it was an internationally recognized dispute, adding, the world community should respect the will and aspirations of Kashmir and play their dutiful role in solving the long vexed dispute. He stated the change in dispensation in India would have no bearings on Kashmiri people till their policies and thinking shows a radical shift from the current standpoint. He said that India should give-up its “policy of delaying” in the context of addressing the Kashmir issue since Kashmiris  are and remain committed to the sacred cause. Mirwaiz said that it was  Shaheed-e-Millat who in his speech in 1975 at Gool Bagh proposed the alternative solution of a  tripartite dialogue between India Pakistan and the people of Kashmir  to solve the Kashmir issue and APHC believes that this alternative can provide the opportunity to bring  lasting peace in the subcontinent.

In connection with Kashmir solution, Mirwaiz stated that Hurriyat has a clear stand. He said that if Government of India bases its policy on reality and initiates a meaningful dialogue by inviting Pakistani leadership and Kashmiri resistance leadership, Hurriyat would lend its full support to the process. But if they continue their policy of suppression and military repression it will be resisted strongly at all levels.

He said that the Indian defence expenditure was increasing year after year as billions of dollars were being spent on buying weapons and arms while around half of the Indias population was living below the poverty line. Mirwaiz stated the rulers in Delhi should apprise people in India about the historical context to the Kashmir dispute. He  said Kashmiris have already rejected the so called polls in Kashmir and have conveyed their message loud and clear.

Terming Kashmir as a police state, Mirwaiz stated that there is no democracy in Kashmir. He said all the significant decisions are taken by army and police to run the Kashmir affairs. He said that Kashmiris would continue to fight for their freedom till they would achieve it. He stated that Kashmiris would never forget its martyrs and neither those who perpetrated violence against them.

Mirwaiz Condemned the continuous arrest  and detention of pro freedom leaders and youth and demanded their immediate release. Later on the occasion, some survivors of the Hawal incident recalled their bone chilling experiences of the black day. A short film portraying the hawal incident was also shown to the big gathering.

A galaxy of people including senior hurriyat leaders participated in the seminar and spoke on the topic. Professor Abdul Gani Bhat, Agha Syed Mujtaba Abbas, Javaid Ahmad Mir, Nazir Ahmad Ronga, Nair Ahmad Baba, Engineer Hilal Ahmad War, Hakim Abdul Rashid, Shahid Saleem, Ghulam Hassan Mir and other senior leaders were among the prominent to speak on the occasion. Rehman shamas opened the session by reading a write up of Hassan sopori on Hawal incident. Senior Hurriyat leaders including Bilal Gani Lone, Musadiq Adil, Advocate Shahid-ul-Islam, Advocate Abdul Majid Banday, Dr. Ghulam Mohammad Huji, Sofi Mushtaq Ahmad, Chodhry Shaheen, Syed Bashir Andrabi, GN Zaki, Jaffar Kashmiri, Yasmeen Raja, and Mohtarama Fatima also participated in the seminar. (KNS)