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Monday,
June 24, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Omar rules out division
Srinagar, June 23 Addressing party delegates at Sonawar near here soon after becoming the president of the NC Mr Omar said some people wanted to divide “our Jammu and Kashmir.’’ “But this will never happen and this will not be allowed.’’ “Our state is a mini-India, where everybody enjoys equal rights,“ he said.’’ Without naming anyone, he said they wanted to divide our state, keep Ladakh and Jammu and leave Kashmir at the mercy of Pakistan. “Those who want to divide the state will never succeed as the people of Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir will fight against any such move unitedly,’’ he asserted. He said Kashmiri Muslims had never forced Pandits to leave the valley, but it was Pakistani guns which had forced them to migrate. He said he would strive for “dignified return” of Kashmiri Pandits to the valley. “I promised them a dignified return to their homes, but did not give them any time frame because it could cause more problems,” he said. Omar said he would work to create a conducive atmosphere for the return of Kashmiri Pandits to their ancestral homes in Karan Nagar, Habbakadal and Ganderbal. On the Hurriyat Conference’s offer for dialogue, Omar
Questioning the popularity of the Hurriyat Conference, he claimed there was only one person with a following and “we have heard he is emigrating to some foreign land”. He was referring to Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who had recently married an American citizen of Kashmiri origin. He renewed his challenge to the Hurriyat to participate in the elections and claimed, “We will win the elections. There is no doubt about it”. Referring to demands of the opposition in the state that President’s rule be imposed ahead of the Assembly elections in October, Omar said, “There is no law to remove our government. Remove the Gujarat government first and we will resign on our own.” Omar said he would devote more time in the state not only to realise his grandfather Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s dream, but to add to it. Stating that internal division was the legacy of the Congress and the Hurriyat Conference, he claimed that the National Conference had always remained united. Omar said his taking charge heralded a new chapter in the history of the party and the state. “But it is a difficult time. The times were different when my father took over the NC reins 20 years ago,” he added. He reassured the party delegates that he would make utmost efforts to take the party to greater heights. “I will not ask you to do anything that I cannot do. I will take 10 steps, you just take one and I assure you of victory,” Omar said. The newly appointed National Conference President also asked the Centre to stop harping on an end to infiltration as a prelude to de-escalation at the border and instead ask Pakistan to cut off the “oxygen” breeding
militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. In his first interview after taking over the reins of the party, Omar said, “We have been harping too much on putting an end to cross-border terrorism and infiltration. The menace of militancy will continue to flourish as long as Pakistan does not stop political support and flow of money and destroys terrorist camps, which acts as the oxygen.” Advocating a “clear-cut change in the policies”, Omar said “This needs to be conveyed to the Pakistani leadership.” The 32-year-old leader said the Centre would have to firm up its stand quickly as the Kashmiris could not be left bleeding any longer.” Reiterating the demand for autonomy, a resolution for which was passed by the Assembly, he said the Centre should give it serious thought as “you can just not ignore the wishes of the people.” Expressing serious concern about the alleged human rights violations committed by the Special Task Force, Omar said he would take up the matter with the state government and try to sort out the issue. Earlier, Omar, the Minister of State for External Affairs, was formally presented the party President’s badge and ‘karakuli’ (cap) by the outgoing president and Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah.
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Son rises in National Conference Srinagar, June 23 “He (Omar) will lead you in the next Assembly elections. Extend your support to him in the forthcoming elections like you supported me whole-heartedly in the 1996 elections”, Dr Farooq Abdullah told thousands of delegates and workers of his party at the special session of the delegates and leaders here today. The special session, first of its kind after 1984, was organised to elect the Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr Omar Abdullah, as the new President of the party. The session held amid tight security arrangements at Sher-e- Kashmir Stadium Park, Sonwarbagh, in the high-security zone was marked by two explosions of rifle grenades caused by suspected militants near the MA Road crossing, about 300 metres away. The rifle grenades exploded in the air without causing any damage, while Mr Omar Abdullah was addressing the session after being elected as the new party President. The police said militants “fired two rifle grenades towards TRC, out of which one exploded in a Nullah near the TRC bund while another exploded in the air. No harm was caused”. Once again the Chief Minister lashed out at the Centre’s apathetic attitude towards Jammu and Kashmir and referred to the rejection of autonomy resolution by the NDA government. He warned that peace in Jammu and Kashmir was not possible without the grant of autonomy. “This is not merely a slogan... thousands of people have laid down their lives for this”, Dr Farooq Abdullah said reiterating that this would continue to be on the agenda of the National Conference. The grant of autonomy was the main plank of the National Conference campaign in the 1996 elections. The Chief Minister expressed concern over the confrontation between India and Pakistan, particularly over the past 12 years. He held that people living along the borders with Pakistan were facing hardships due to the continued skirmishes over the years. He added that the people of this border state suffered the most due to the confrontation between the two countries. He also lashed out at the role of Hindu fundamentalists for their alleged communal approach adding that Kashmir’s accession to India was final. “We want freedom from poverty, destruction and unemployment”, he pointed out. He said Pakistan unleashed a reign of terror in this border state not having least concern for its people. Thousands of delegates from all three regions of the state converged at the venue since early morning. A meeting of the NC Working Committee was held for about one hour prior to the beginning of the proceedings of the session. The Vice-President of the NC, Mr Chuni Lal Khajuria, who took over as the Working President of the party after Farooq Abdullah’s resignation over a week before, presided over the session. Senior leader and minister Ghulam Mohiuddin Shah acted as the electoral officer while the session was convened by General Secretary, Sheikh Nazir Ahmad. Mr Abdullah was declared elected unopposed as the new President of the National Conference by the party General Secretary. The session, began with the recitations from the Koran, and followed by recitations from the holy scripts of the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and the Christians. The outgoing and the new Presidents of the National Conference unfurled the party flag. It was followed by the singing of party tarana and “Sare jahan say achha” by artistes from the stage. Tributes were also paid to the party leaders who had passed away since 1984 and those who fell to the militants’ violence. Mr Abdullah after being administered the oath by the General Secretary, was felicitated by his father and other members of the family, party leaders, ministers and legislators present on the occasion. |
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Grenade attack at NC session
Srinagar, June 23 When Mr Omar was referring to restoration of autonomy, there were two blasts in succession. However, Mr Omar said this was “a salute for our delegate session’’ and asked delegates to remain calm. A message received by a police officer on a wireless set said that blasts took place, about half a kilo metre away from the venue of the session. Official sources said militants had fired rifle grenades towards the venue. However, the grenades fell short and exploded without causing any damage. The session was being held under unprecedented security arrangements. Hundreds of security force personnel wearing bullet proof jackets and holding automatic weapons were seen deployed in and around the venue. All roads were sealed and even the vehicles of newspersons were stopped about 2 km away. Militant outfits Hizbul Mujahideen and little-known Al-Madina Regiment today claimed responsibility for the abortive bid to bomb the special session of the ruling National Conference here. “The grenade attack was carried out by our activists disrupting the special session,” a spokesman for Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen told NAFA, a local agency, here. Earlier, a caller introducing himself as a spokesman for Al-Madina told Kashmir Press Service, another local news agency, that the attack was carried out by the outfit’s activists. “Our activists fired mortars at the NC meeting to kick off our anti-election campaign,” the spokesman said. “The attack is the beginning of our campaign to disrupt the coming Assembly elections in the state,” he said. Meanwhile the National Conference appealed to India and Pakistan to initiate a “meaningful dialogue” to resolve outstanding issues between them and appreciated the efforts of international community to persuade both countries to come to the negotiation table. “We make a fervent and sincere appeal to both countries that they should find a way to resolve the conflict and initiate a meaningful dialogue,” the party said in its political resolution adopted at session held here after 18 years. It pledged that no stone would be left unturned to get the autonomy resolution implemented to satisfy the political and democratic aspirations of the people of the state.
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