Rift in NC open as write-up by Omar’s political advisor triggers storm in the party

Srinagar, May 26 : The rift within J&K’s oldest regional political party National Conference (NC) over the alleged silence of top leadership on the August 5 episode, which saw end of the special status, is wide-open with a write-up focussing on domicile by the political adviser of vice president Omar Abdullah being criticized by a senior leader.

Reacting to the write-up by Tanvir Sadiq, NC’s chief spokesman Agha Syed Ruhullah Mehdi took to Twitter, saying, “If I am not reading wrong, you (adviser of Mr Abdullah) are basically asking for 4G and their (the Centre) permission to let us start the political process and then all is well?”

Sadiq, who was also detained in a crackdown launched on August 5 and released later, had advocated “for a reconciliation and reaching out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir” in the write-up published in a local newspaper last week.

Meanwhile, NC sources said that many party leaders were upset with alleged silence of National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and Vice President Omar Abdullah on revocation of special status and division of J&K into two Union Territories (UT) on August 5, last year.

However, both Omar and Farooq have citied COVID-19 outbreak the reason behind their silence of the issue.

Sadiq in his write-up h staled about the impact of lockdown first due to unrest post August 5 and now due to COVID-19 outbreak. He also talks about the financial implications of the lockdown and how people of the valley have become resilient and it is this resilience that is helping them cope with the lockdown.

It is the last paragraph of his article, which has drawn criticism, in which he says, “As a starting point for this, let all political prisoners arrested post ‪August 5 be released before EID, revisit the domicile law & lift all curbs on the internet and telecommunication and let the end of the pandemic and the beginning of the political process be run along parallel lines. Kashmir, its people and the country needs this.”

Expressing displeasure with the write-up in a series of tweets, Mehdi said the article provokes questions. “This provokes a question in my mind. What is a political process for you? Only an election? If we go with a reason and stand our course, even being detained is a part of political process. But yes, it depends on your objectives. And sorry, it’s insulting to ask THEM to “let” us,” he tweeted.

He said many of my colleagues are detained under Public Safety Act (PSA) while many other are places under house arrest. “Others including me are put under house detention. My heart goes out to the and I wish & pray for their immediate release. But, believe me their and our (house) detention is a political message and process itself,” he said.

“Revisit” domicile law? Lift curbs on Internet? “LET” political process be run?

Is that all what you are looking for in this reconciliation? If I am not reading wrong, you are basically asking for 4G and THEIR ‘PERMISSION’ to let us start the political process? & then all is well?” he tweeted.

Mehdi said that he is ready to go to prison. “I am currently under house detention and I am honestly ready to be taken to a prison after what I say. But I would never ask then to “LET” us. When you ask them to “let” us, it will naturally be on their terms,” he said.

“They are doing job. Our hands aren’t tied. Our thoughts aren’t tied. If the objective is not only elections, we are only in a political process. Asking them to “let” us start means doing only what they want us to do,” he added.

UNI