Does National Conference think that Kashmir is their ancestral property ? Who is Omar Abdullah to speak about townships for Kashmiri Hindus ? – Editor, HJS
Srinagar : Opposition National Conference on Saturday said they will not let the Jammu & Kashmir government to set up separate colonies for Kashmiri pandits, but would strive for return of the minority community to their native places in the valley. The statements came even as J&K’s deputy CM Nirmal Singh said that the state will go ahead with the plan.
“We are against separate clusters for Kashmiri pandits. We welcome them (to Kashmir), but we will not let the government create separate colonies for them,” NC general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar told reporters during a protest rally against the new recruitment policy of the state.
On the issue of presence of Pakistani flags at a rally led by hardline Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani at Tral in south Kashmir on Friday, Sagar said that “there is no big deal in it”. “There are people who like Pakistan, there are people who want freedom and they do such things. There is no big deal in it,” he said.
Hurriyat Conference, however, justified its actions, its spokesman Ayaz Akbar saying that “the sentiment for Pakistan in Kashmir is alive. Youth generally express their love for the country by waiving Pakistani flags.” Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson Tasneem Aslam had added fuel to the controversy surrounding the proposed pandit townships, saying that such a move would violate UN security council resolutions.
Reacting to the statement, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said, “Pakistan should worry about themselves and not interfere in India’s internal matters.” Union finance minister Arun Jaitley also dismissed the remark, saying that the community, along with Muslims and Sikhs, is an integral part of the state.
The Omar Abdullah-led outfit’s general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar said while the party had always welcomed Kashmiri pandits to the state, it was against separate colonies for the community.
Source: Times Of India