Governor’s rule unavoidable to restore normalcy’: Farooq Abdullah

Srinagar, May 18: National Conference President and Member of Parliament for Srinagar, Dr. Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said imposition of Governor’s rule and placing the Legislative Assembly under suspended animation was unavoidable and imperative to restore normalcy and peace in Kashmir. Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said the PDP-BJP Alliance was bereft of a political agenda and had been forged with the singular purpose of attaining power. “The alleged ‘Agenda of the Alliance’ has been torn to shreds and debunked by the BJP. As far as the PDP is concerned, they gave the ‘Agenda of the Alliance’ a discreet burial when Mufti Sahab passed away”, Dr. Farooq Abdulllah said when asked about the ruling alliance in the State.
When asked about reported plans of the PDP-BJP Alliance of replacing Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti with a Chief Minister from the BJP, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said such a step would not help restore peace in the Valley as the alliance in its entirety had failed and was unable to deliver and fulfill its political promises. “Changing horses midway won’t help. The Government has become extremely unpopular and has lost the faith and support of the people – as is evident with every passing day and as seen a couple of days ago when female attendees at a Government organized event at SKICC refused to be addressed by the CM and stormed out of the event raising slogans”, the National Conference President said while speaking to the reporters.
“The imposition of Governor’s rule is not an ideal solution but in the present circumstances where the State is being pushed back to the uncertainty and turmoil of the early 90s, it is the only plausible option. This is for the first time in almost three decades that an election had to be cancelled and we are down from a 26% turnout to a 7% turnout – thanks to this Government’s policies and failure. The imposition of Governor’s rule would calm tempers and also make the Administration to be perceived as politically neutral – allowing basic governance to be restored. The State bureaucracy too is in a state of disarray and dismay owing to mishandling and unprecedented impropriety by the PDP-BJP Government. Juniors are being promoted over seniors and key departments are being run in an ad-hoc and chaotic manner. The result is a complete failure on the governance front in addition to a failure on the political front. There is no sign of development. The only sign of the government is these ribbon-cutting photo-opportunities of the Chief Minister inaugurating projects of the previous Government in the State”, Dr. Farooq Abdullah added.
Dr. Farooq Abdullah said an open-ended, unconditional and uninterruptable dialogue with Pakistan and with stakeholders in Kashmir was the only way forward to deal with the Kashmir Issue. “New Delhi has to talk to Pakistan and also initiate talks with various stakeholders in Kashmir without any restrictions and conditions. There is no other option. The sooner New Delhi does this the better it is for the State and the entire region. My apprehension is that the damage done would be far too much to handle and reverse by the time such a political initiative is taken. There should be no further delay”, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said.
Dr. Farooq Abdullah also expressed disappointment at the unfortunate decision of dropping all four nominees to the Honourable J&K High Court from Kashmir while all three vacancies were filled by nominees from Jammu. “We have always and will always support equal rights and treatment of all the regions of the State. Discriminating against one region and favouring another region for political reasons is shameful and will further add to the sense of alienation and discrimination in Kashmir. The Government is playing with fire and will be responsible for further widening the already unprecedented chasm between the two regions. When you rob people of Kashmir of due representation and a right to equality – in judiciary and elsewhere – you are the ones pushing them against the wall and leaving them with no option but to agitate and protest. There should be no discrimination. Our lawyers have rendered their services in unimaginable circumstances and risked their lives to serve the judiciary – such discrimination against them is tragic and very sad”, Dr. Farooq Abdullah further added. (CNS)