Unrest in Valley not because of Pak: Omar

On the boil: Former CM holds PDP responsible for Centre's stand

Holding the PDP responsible for New Delhi’s ‘hawkish stand’ on the prevailing situation in Kashmir, former chief minister of the state Omar Abdullah on Saturday said the unrest in the Valley is not because of Pakistan.

“While suggesting so (holding Pak responsible) might be politically expedient and convenient for the Central government, it comes with the unimaginable risk of alienating the people of Kashmir to an irrevocable and irreparable limit,” Omar, who is working president of opposition National Conference, said.

“When that limit is breached, no amount of rhetoric or grandstanding will help. I’m dismayed that New Delhi has yet again refused to acknowledge the gravity of the already volatile situation in the Valley. This will add fuel to the current unrest,” he warned.

While holding the PDP primarily responsible for the Centre’s “shocking, hawkish stand” on the situation in Kashmir at the conclusion of the all-party meeting held in New Delhi, he expressed shock and dismay at PDP MP Muzaffar Hussain Baig’s perverse “anti-Kashmir tirade and stereotypical Muslim bashing.”

“It was (Chief Minister) Mehbooba Mufti who had set the tone for this narrative that aims to vilify and defame the people of Kashmir,” Omar claimed.

“Not only did PDP choose to tacitly support the use of excessive force in the Valley, it also stooped to the extent of deriding those voices of empathy and solidarity at the national level that have been demanding that the Central Government adopt a humane and political approach towards the situation,” he claimed.