SRINAGAR — In a ground-breaking revelation during an exclusive interview with India Today, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah contested the BJP’s assertions linking Article 370 to the ongoing violence in Kashmir.
Abdullah emphasized that the tumultuous turn in the region’s history can be unequivocally traced back to 1987, not the constitutional provision.
While responding to BJP’s assertions that Article 370 was the root cause of violence and separatism in Kashmir, Abdullah questioned why violence did not erupt immediately after Article 370’s implementation in 1950 and erupted in 1987?
“If Article 370 was the root cause of terrorism in J&K, then terrorism should have started in 1947 not in 1987. For 40 years prior to 1987 you still had no terrorism”, he said.
This statement assumes immense significance, particularly as the National Conference (NC) faces repeated accusations of orchestrating electoral rigging in collusion with the Congress.
The rigged 1987 elections, manipulated by the Congress-NC alliance, are underscored as the fundamental trigger for the enduring violence that has plagued Jammu and Kashmir for over three decades, reported Srinagar based news agency Kashmir Dot Com.
Abdullah’s statement rekindles scrutiny on the controversial elections, suggesting the use of state machinery to thwart the victory of the Muslim United Front (MUF), with contestants subsequently turning to violence after the electoral process was manipulated. — (KDC)