National Conference president and Member of Parliament Farooq Abdullah accused the BJP-led central government of pursuing a policy of “denialism” on Jammu and Kashmir, accusing it of presenting a rosy picture of the violence-marred region.
Abdullah, a former chief minister, was speaking to party workers at Surankote in the border district of Poonch.
Referring to the recent incidents of violence in the valley, he said the security situation there has crumbled but “they (the central government) want to project normalcy to the world when it is the exact opposite.”
“What normalcy are they talking about? Is it normal that three Army soldiers get injured in a blast in Shopian, a non-local banker shot dead by militants in Kulgam, and another non-local labourer shot dead, and another injured by militants in Budgam in a single day,” he said.
He said the first step to resolving a problem is to acknowledge that it exists.
“The party which is running the show at centre is living in denial. It wants everyone to keep their heads down and pretend all is well in Kashmir, including Kashmiri Pandits,” he said.
Abdullah asked party workers to work in tandem to make the party stronger at the grass root level.
Earlier, he made a brief stopover at Hir Pura on Mughal road and met a number of party’s local unit functionaries.
“National Conference has witnessed rocky roads since its very inception but with the overwhelming support of people, it was able to tide over those challenging periods.
“As long as people are with us, no power can dislodge the National Conference which is not just a party, but a movement,” he said.
The same day, Abdullah also visited Sawijan-Gagrian near zero line in the district to condole with the bereaved families who lost their members in a road accident the previous day.
Four people, including a minor girl, were killed and seven others injured when a cab fell into a gorge in Sawjian village on Saturday.
Meeting the families, Abdullah offered special prayers for the deceased, and also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured, a party spokesperson said.
