JAMMU — Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday called for an immediate halt to alleged harassment of Kashmir natives, whether students or traders, reported from across the country, asserting that continued victimisation of people from the Valley was unacceptable.
The issue of the alleged harassment of Kashmir-natives in different parts of the country was also raised in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly ahead of the Question Hour during the Budget Session, with Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather rejecting an adjournment motion moved by PDP MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para seeking a discussion on the matter.
“This is not a good thing. I spoke on this issue at the North Zone Chief Ministers’ Conference. At that time, I requested all the chief ministers and the Union home minister to ensure the ongoing harassment of Kashmiris — whether students or traders — stops. I am grateful to the chief minister of Uttarakhand for taking timely action, with cases registered and arrests made,” Abdullah told reporters after the first sitting.
He expressed concern that harassment of Kashmir-natives was being reported from neighbouring Himachal Pradesh despite the Congress being in power there.
“Himachal is our neighboring state, and despite the fact that the Congress is in power there, people (Kashmiris) are being stopped, harassed, and beaten. I request the Himachal Pradesh chief minister to take immediate action on this and put a stop to this victimisation and harassment of Kashmiris,” Abdullah said.
Responding to a query on the row in the Lok Sabha on Monday over Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to quote from what he claimed was the memoir of former Army chief M M Naravane, the Abdullah said “what happens in Parliament is Parliament’s matter”.
“It is the privilege of Parliament and the speaker to decide. Similarly, whatever we do in our assembly is our own matter. It would not be appropriate for our assembly to be discussed in Parliament, and likewise, I should not comment on what happened in Parliament,” he said.
On Jammu and Kashmir Congress’s suggestion to set up a coordination committee to strengthen the coalition, Abdullah said the question should be put to National Conference president Farooq Abdullah.
“I am the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir; I am not the president of the National Conference. You can meet the National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and ask him what the party’s stand is,” he told reporters. — (PTI)