“Why does the Centre want to humiliate the political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir just when it has promised to hold elections? Is it to send a message to the electorate that those who do not fall in line will receive the same treatment? Why is the security apparatus being used to further partisan political interests?”
These were among the questions posed by CPI(M) leader Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami, attending the CPI(M) Party Congress here, as news broke of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoning the former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdulla in a case pertaining to J&K Bank.
“The ED had earlier questioned Farooq Abdulla and the ailing wife of the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. But have they achieved anything?” he asked.
Mr. Tarigami, a Central Committee member of the CPI(M), alleged that Central agencies were being used to push the political process and appealed to his fellow Indian citizens to try and save the democratic process in J&K. “Please do not leave us alone. Why is Kashmir being singled out? Why is it not being trusted? Why are Kashmiris pushed to the wall? Why are you not taking the people into confidence?” he asked.
Mr. Tarigami also wondered if peace had indeed been restored in J&K following the abrogation of Article 370, why was the Centre not withdrawing the AFSPA from the region when it was being done in parts of northeast.
Kashmir Files
To a question on the film, Kashmir Files, he said the story of Kashmir was one of pain and tragedies, and a damaging part of the tragic story was the migration of Kashmiri Pandits. “They have hugely suffered. But why don’t you do something good for them? Should we share their pain or should we use it for marketing? Don’t build your empires on people’s tears,” Mr. Tarigami said.
