Mufti Responsible for Intolerance in JK: Omar

Srinagar: Blaming Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed for “rising intolerance” in the state Jammu and Kashmir, former Chief Minister and working president of National Conference (NC), Omar Abdullah Saturday said that Mufti left no stone unturned to save his chair.

While talking to reporters after paying glowing tributes to his grandfather and National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on his 110th birth anniversary, Omar said, “I believe that Mufti is responsible for all the intolerance incidents taking place in the state. Mufti has left no stone unturned to save his chair.”

While holding Mufti responsible for the attacks which have taken place in the state, Omar said that they had an apprehension that entrance of BJP, RSS in the state would be a dangerous step and “unfortunately, our apprehensions have been proved correct in the nine months of newly formed dispensation in the state”.

“We had offered support to PDP several times after election results came out to keep such forces out from the state, but despite that Mufti allied with BJP to form the new dispensation in Jammu and Kashmir,” Omar said, adding that the alliance is proving dangerous with each passing day as the Muslims transporters are being targeted while one truck driver among them later died.

He said that as arrests were being made in the Valley, “RSS are holding armed rallies in Jammu and everybody watches it as mute spectator".

Referring to a query about the denial of the government to confer 'Sher-e-Kashmir' title to his grandfather, Omar said that the party founder was not only the tallest leader but was honored in the entire country.

In a reply to an RTI, the government has said that the government had no records available to say who was JK’s 'Sher-e-Kashmir’.

The Sher-e-Kashmir title has been used for the NC founder, with many universities, bridges, conference halls, Police training institutes and several other public buildings and welfare schemes being run under this title.

While speaking about his grandfather, Omar said that he (Sheikh) left an indelible impression by his political role and more than that the economic contribution he made to the state by virtue of Land to Tiller (Act) and loan waiver.

"No one can have differences with the economic contribution of Sheikh Sahab even though they may differ with his politics. Jammu and Kashmir today has the least poverty and it is only because of these two steps taken by him," Omar said. (KNS)