Abdullah blames Center for Kashmir turmoil

Blaming successive governments at the Centre for the prevailing situation in the Valley, opposition National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday asked the Centre not to view Kashmir as a law and order problem.

"It is because of their (Delhi's) persistently miscalculated approach that Kashmir has been going through turmoil of worst kind. Because of their repeated deception, people of Kashmir do not even have an iota of faith on central government and its political initiatives," he said while addressing a public rally in Machil near Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir's Kupwara district.

While expressing grief and angst over Center's policy, Abdullah said, "New Delhi should understand that iron fist and subjugation has never yielded positive results anywhere. Same is the case with Kashmir where it's because of these things that situation has deteriorated over the years. It's high time that the policy makers realize the gravity of situation and start to look at Kashmir empathetically and not merely as a law and order problem."

Abdullah, a former chief minister of the state, said, "(Late) Maharaja Hari Singh acceded to the Union of India on three conditions. It has been recorded and accepted in the Indian Constitution as well. So we are not like any other state in India. I have told this to many prime ministers and government representatives in   the past. We want autonomy to be restored."

The NC chief said the best political initiative from the BJP government at the Centre would have been taking steps to restore faith in people by showing sincerity in addressing the Kashmir issue. "Instead there has been a well planned and executed political conspiracy to aggravate the situation by fiddling with Article 35 A and Article 370 of the Constitution, not once but consistently," he rued.