Former Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah on November 20 accused the BJP of deceiving people with its narrative that militancy in Kashmir was due to the existence of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir till 2019.
“We were told that if there are guns in Kashmir, it is only due to Article 370. If Article 370 is removed, there will be no guns but prosperity and stability. Five people were killed recently in an encounter [in Kulgam]. Four of them joined militancy in 2020 and the fifth in 2021. It was after 2019. It exposes [the BJP’s] deception. You not only deceived the people of Jammu and Kashmir but the rest of the country too,” Mr. Abdullah said.
The former Chief Minister made these remarks during a public rally at Kulgam in south Kashmir. Five local militants were killed in an overnight encounter on November 17 in Kulgam’s Samoo area. “Can they [the BJP] explain why they [militants] die? We are being deceived in the name of elections, solving unemployment and development,” Mr. Abdullah said.
Stressing the need for holding elections in Jammu and Kashmir, which remains without an elected Assembly since 2018, the NC leader said he had expectations from the Supreme Court (SC). “The honourable SC during the hearing of Article 370 suggested that elections were related to the subject. I hope the SC touches upon the elections too in its final judgment,” said Mr. Abdullah.
Verdict likely this year
The Supreme Court’s judgment on Article 370 is likely this year in the wake of one of the judges retiring in December.
Commenting on the recent Army court move to grant bail to a captain in the 2020 staged encounter, Mr. Abdullah said, “Innocent people are in jail in Kashmir. People facing minor charges do not get bail. On the other hand, the Army’s court martial itself found the captain was involved in the murder of three civilians from Rajouri in a staged encounter. However, all the procedures were set aside and he was granted bail easily. Don’t give out an impression that the blood of locals is cheap,” the NC leader said.
