Farooq Abdullah Destroyed National Conference: Muzzafar Shah

NEW DELHI : ANC Senior Vice President Muzzafar Shah while commenting upon Dr Mustafa Kamal’s detailed interview yesterday to a local daily in the aftermath of his ouster as additional General Secretary and Chief Spokesperson of National Conference , said, he (Mustafa Kamal) was absolutely correct in stating that his brother-in-law and one of the senior most leaders of the National Conference late G M Shah died saying that he would never forgive himself for dividing the family in 1983 when NC vertically split into NC (Khalida) and NC (Farooq) within one year of the demise of Sher- i- Kashmir Sheikh Mohd Abdullah. It is an admitted fact that NC division was engineered by Dr Farooq Abdullah for securing his power position within the NC in connivance with New Delhi when he sidelined the stalwarts and lifelong colleague of Sheikh Mohd Abdullah.
In a statement issued in New Delhi today, Mr. Shah stated that former chief minister and founder president Awami National Conference (ANC) late G M Shah considered NC rank and file as his family who along with him had given their blood, sweat and sacrificed their lives for upholding the programmes and policies of the National Conference and its leader since its inception. It is this family G M Shah was referring to and not his kith and kin alone. Instead Dr Farooq Abdullah allowed the destruction of the impregnable NC fort by allowing entry to dozens of NC and lifelong Sheikh Abdullah baiters into the party fold .This destroyed the National Conference culture and its legacy. What happened to Kashmir and National Conference after that is history, said Muzzafar Shah.
Unfortunately, this NC leadership under Dr Farooq Abdullah has given preference to cling to power at the cost of sacrificing the interest of people of Jammu and Kashmir. They in no way represent the aspiration of the people of Jammu and Kashmir any more nor can they claim to represent the real legacy of NC and its history, said Muzaffar Shah.
ANC Sr. Vice President reminded Dr Kamal that Omar Abdullah is no G M Shah . He was a man of integrity and courage who stood up for the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and did not allow any dictation or political pressure from New Delhi while discharging his duties as chief minister . G M Shah preferred to leave the chair of ChiefMinistership than to accommodate two of members of the Congress into his cabinet or allow change of guard form NC (K) to Congress with the offers of an important berth in the union cabinet for himself , an MP seat for his wife Khalida Shah (the then NC- K Chief) and a berth in state cabinet for his son Muzaffar Shah. Engineering of communal violence in South Kashmir by local Congress leadership, subsequent Rajiv –Farooq accord, rigged election of 1987 and then destruction of Kashmir is history, said Muzzafar Shah.
Mr Shah further stated that the earlier and the present coalition governments have miserably failed in discharging their duties to protect lives and honour of the common man and have knelt before New Delhi for crumbs of power. Armed Forces Special Power Act (ASFPA) withdrawal is the prerogative of the state assembly which has the powers to repeal or implement any law in the state under Art 370 of Indian constitution, Shah said .
He further reiterated that ANC president Begum Khalida Shah, is witness to turbulent history of Jammu and Kashmir as the eldest daughter of Sher-i-Kashmir Sheikh Mohd Abdullah and lifelong partner of late G M Shah, having the experience of running the National Conference when its entire leadership was behind bars ,is capable of delivering the political alternative that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are looking forward to.