Srinagar, Sep 6 (UNI) Former chief minister and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah on Friday alleged that the BJP government is trying to silence no other politician in Jammu and Kashmir except him.
Omar claimed that a conspiracy was being hatched against him by fielding candidates from jails.
“I knew that Delhi would make an effort to silence me. But I never thought they would go to this extent,” Omar said while addressing a poll rally in Ganderbal.
Omar said it all started in Baramulla, where he unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections.
“In Baramulla, when one person (Abdul Rashid Sheikh, aka Engineer Rashid) stood against me, he filed his papers while in jail. He recorded his message from jail and sought votes based on emotions. He defeated me in the polls,” Omar said.
The NC leader said he initially did not see this as something worrisome.
“I thought that since this person had contested elections earlier, this time too he tried his luck and won. Beyond that, I didn’t see it as a conspiracy. I didn’t see it as part of Delhi’s agenda. I thought it was just my bad luck that he won,” Omar explained.
He added that when he decided to contest the assembly polls from Ganderbal, reports emerged that another citizen (jailed cleric Sarjan Ahmad Wagay, alias Barkati), would contest against him.
“I began to wonder why these people are being set against me alone. They bring them from jail to contest against me. Is there a conspiracy?” he asked.
Abdullah said he could understand Engineer Rashid contesting the Lok Sabha polls against him as he was a local from the constituency.
“When they couldn’t find a local person from Ganderbal in jail, they brought one (Barkati) from Zainapora-Shopian. I still had doubts and thought it might be a coincidence. I consulted with a few colleagues and told them I wanted to prove that this was a conspiracy from Delhi against me. To prove it, I decided to fight from another seat,” he said.
Omar is contesting from two assembly constituencies of Ganderbal and Budgam.
Omar said to prove it was a conspiracy they decided not to reveal from which seat they would file papers.
“We collected forms and decided to make the final decision in the morning. It was proven yesterday that this is not a coincidence — people are being fielded from jail specifically to contest against me. Otherwise, why would this person (Barkati) file papers in Ganderbal and then collect papers from Beerwah, assuming I would contest from there as I was an MLA there? But when I filed papers from Budgam in the afternoon, they were caught off guard, as they had prepared for Beerwah,” he said.
“From this, you can understand that in Jammu and Kashmir, especially in Kashmir, no other politician is being targeted — only me,” he said.
Omar stated that Delhi is targeting him because he speaks for the people of J&K.
“When I speak, I talk about your emotions. I speak about the people’s problems and our lost dignity. When I take off my cap, it’s not just my dignity — it’s everyone’s dignity. If there’s any diminishment in your honor, how can my honor increase?” he asked.
“When I fight with Delhi, I do not fight just for myself or my family. The fight we are fighting today is for all of Jammu and Kashmir, and this doesn’t sit well with the BJP. That’s why one conspiracy after another is being hatched. But such a conspiracy can only succeed once. This time, I have full faith in the people of Ganderbal, especially the Khag block, that they will vote wisely,” he said.
After filing his nomination papers from Budgam on Thursday, Omar had said that contesting from two seats was not a sign of weakness but of the strength of the National Conference. After the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, Omar had taken a stand that he would not contest Assembly elections until statehood was restored. However, Omar broke his vow and joined the polls fray.
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JK-POLL-MEHBOOBA
BJP succeeds in shifting focus of Kashmir issue from resolution to holding elections: Mehbooba Mufti
Srinagar, Sep 6 (UNI) Former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said the Bhartiya Janta Party has succeeded in shifting the focus of the Kashmir issue from resolution to holding of elections in Jammu and Kashmir
Mufti was responding to queries from reporters that restoration of Statehood has been made the main plank for the Assembly polls by political parties.
“ The BJP has succeeded in shifting the focus of the Kashmir issue, which once saw sacrifices of thousands of people, to merely restoring Article 370 and then to restoration of statehood and elections,” Mufti told reporters in Srinagar.
She said that some parties are rejoicing that elections are taking place and talk about restoration of statehood.
“This is like looking for shoes after amputating the feet. Kashmir is a core issue for the PDP for which we worked in the past. We opened the roads, the dialogue was held and in my time (as Chief minister) a delegation came from Delhi. Limiting the issue just to statehood is an injustice to people,” she added.
When asked about comments made by a BJP leader Ram Madhav regarding militants being used by NC and PDP, Mufti said surrendered militants deserve respect and the right to live with dignity.
“ They ( surrendered militants) should not be used as a slur. It is wrong. The real surrendered militants, which party are they joining and which party is blackmailing them, Ram Madhav knows it well,” Mufti said.
Mufti also criticizes the National Conference–Congress alliances, stating they are based on seat-sharing rather than principles.
She said there are discrepancies where Congress and NC candidates oppose each other in different constituencies.
“Look at the seat where the Congress President (Tariq Karra) is contesting, what is happening in Tral. Wherever the NC has left the seat for the Congress, an NC leader is contesting as independent and they have the full support of NC cadres,” she said.
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SECURITY-JK-POLICE
J&K police charge sheet Pak based handler for luring youth to terrorism
Srinagar, Sep 6 ( UNI) Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) Srinagar presented a charge sheet against a terror module including a Pakistani handler for motivating and radicalising youth through social media to join militant ranks.
The charge sheet was presented in the Court of Special Judge, designated under National Investigation Agency Act, here in a case registered in 2023.
Those chargesheeted included Pakistani handler Illyas Kashmiri alias Gazi Hamas alias Haider a resident of Bhawalpur, Pakistan; Waseem Ahmad Sheikh of Kandoora, Beerwah,Budgam; Junaid Ahmed Mir of Tekipora Lolab Kupwara and Shabir Ahmed Gojri of Darbagh Harwan Srinagar
Police said the case was registered in Police Station CIK on an information received through reliable sources that a terrorist module in pursuance of criminal conspiracy is radicalising, motivating potential youths to join terrorist organizations of Lashkar-e-Taiba , Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH) , Jaish-e-Mohammad on different social media applications, platforms which includes encrypted messaging applications.
“During the course of investigation, it was established that a criminal conspiracy has been hatched by terrorist Commander Illyas Kashmiri and three others and in pursuance of the conspiracy handler of this terror module was sharing criminal/seditious contents through encrypted messaging applications with above named accused in order to motivate,radicalize,lure gullible youths by variety of incentives to join terrorist ranks of LeT/AuGH/JeM, so as to extend logistic support to terrorist organizations for furthering their terrorist activities,” a police statement said.
“Besides it, these above accused persons were acting as OGWs (overground workers) of proscribed terrorist organizations of LeT/AuGH/JeM for carrying arms/ammunition and providing other logistic support to these terrorist organizations on the directions of handler namely Illyas Kashmiri. The said terrorist commander/ handler is known for recruiting the potential youths into terrorist ranks through different social media applications/platform which included encrypted messaging applications.,” it added.
A reward of Rupees three lakh has already been announced for giving information about Illyas Kashmiri
UNI MJR SSP
ELECTION-JK-SAJJAD
Sajad Lone to contest from 2 assembly seats
Srinagar, Sep 6 (UNI) The Peoples Conference on Friday released a fourth list of seven more candidates for the third and last phase of Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, fielding party president Sajad Lone from two constituencies of Handwara and Kupwara.
The list was issued a day after the Election Commission issued a notification for the filing of nomination papers by the candidates for the third phase of the elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
As per the list Sajad Lone will contest from Handwara and Kupwara; Imran Reza Ansari from Pattan; advocate Bashir Ahmad Dar from Trehgam; Irfan Pandithpori from Langate; Dr Nasir Awan from Karnah and Mudasir Akbar Shah from Lolab.
In the last Assembly election in 2014, 58 –year-old separatist-turned-mainstream politician Lone won from Handwara and later became a minister during the PDP-BJP coalition government . In the recently held Lok Sabha polls he lost elections to jailed Independent candidate Abdul Rashid Sheikh aka Engineer Rashid.
The PC on Thursday released the party’s manifesto pledging to fight for the Kashmir resolution, restoration of Article 370 and statehood while also promising a judicial commission to probe the alleged rigging of 1987 assembly election.
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Priority06DR7ADMINISTRATION-JK-MIRWAIZ
Mirwaiz placed under house arrest, says it reflects negative thinking of the authorities
Srinagar, Sep 6 (UNI) Hurriyat chairman and Kashmir’s Chief Cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said on Friday that he was placed under house arrest by the authorities.
Mirwaiz traditionally offers Friday prayers at the Jamia Masjid in the old city, where he also delivers the sermon.
Following his house arrest, the Hurriyat chief urged the government that political engagement with the aspirations and sentiments of the people of J&K is the way forward, not apathy and force.
In a statement, Mirwaiz said he was barred from attending Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid.
“It’s a routine since my release from house detention last September after approaching the courts. I am allowed freedom of movement for a few weeks and then detained at home at the discretion of the authorities, with a vehicle placed in front of my gate. Without being given any reason, I am simply informed that I can’t move out,” the statement said.
There was no official comment on the latest house arrest.
Mirwaiz expressed concern that his freedom and liberty are controlled at the authorities’ will, describing it as authoritarian. He said this reflects negative thinking on the part of the authorities.
“For decades, we have been calling for the release of thousands of youth, political leaders, activists, journalists, civil society members, and now lawyers detained in jails in J&K and across India. Instead, more people are persecuted and detained daily. I have been informed that ahead of the UT elections, youth are being asked to come to local police stations for surety bonds, which is harassment,” he added.
Mirwaiz emphasized that detaining people or placing them under house arrest, while stripping away their fundamental rights, does not ensure peace or normalcy.
“You are enforcing silence through intimidation, which is unsustainable in the long run,” he said.
He urged the authorities to pursue political engagement rather than apathy and force.
“So my suggestion to the dispensation is that if our collective aim is peace and normalcy then resolution of the conflict – political engagement with the aspirations and sentiments of the people of J&K is the way forward not apathy and force. Use of force in fact undermines it . Restrictions and detentions will not deter me for pursuing what I believe in as they haven’t weakened you in your resolve,” he said.
