In a press statement issued by Bharatiya Janata Party, it has expressed fear that wavering stand and conflicting statements of Dr. Farooq Abdullah, MP and President of Jammu & Kashmir National Conference are pushing the Kashmiri youth towards extremism. Brig Anil Gupta, State Spokesperson of the party is of the view that, “The recent statements of Dr. Abdullah who is perceived as a pro-establishment politician by the Kashmiri youth have added to the confusion in the young minds who are already faced with a dilemma of politics versus religion. Let down by politicians like Sh. Farooq Abdullah and other members of his bandwagon, they are gravitating towards radicalization. Terrorists like Zakir Musa are emerging as new icons. The reality is that disillusioned Kashmiri youth is looking for direction. They want to join the national mainstream but when leaders like Farooq Abdullah parrot the Pakistani leaders and make pro-Pakistan statements, they are compelled to re-think.”
Ridiculing his statement that POJK belongs to Pakistan, Brig Gupta questioned Dr. Farooq to clarify as to why his father Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah refused to allot evacuee properties in Jammu to POJK refugees on the plea that one-day POJK will be liberated and all these people will go back to their houses and vice-versa? Why have 24 seats been earmarked in J&K Assembly for POJK and remain officially vacant as per Section 48 of the Jammu and Kashmir constitution? Why are they not being allotted to POJK refugees or Kashmiri Pandits?
The fact is that of late Dr. Farooq is acting as a ‘voice of Pakistan’ in the Valley. After the Prime Minister of Pakistan denounced the concept of “Azadi” for Kashmir, he also came out with a ditto statement unmindful of his earlier statements on the subject. He is repeatedly talking of Pakistan as a nuclear nation, giving credence to the statements of Pakistani political and military leadership resorting to ‘nuclear blackmail’ of India, conveniently forgetting Kargil operations and recent surgical strikes which were conducted in the backdrop of a nuclear Pakistan, reminded Brig Gupta. Nuclear weapons are weapons of deterrence and not war-fighting, Dr. Abdullah should stop creating a fear psychosis among the common masses, advised the spokesperson.
The lingering fear of Kashmiri speaking Muslims becoming a minority and Sheikh Abdullah virtually losing the race to Premiership to some non-Kashmiri speaking leader made Sheikh to convince the then Prime Minister Nehru, to announce a unilateral ceasefire, when Indian Army was poised to liberate the remaining parts of the state, resulting in the creation of PoJK. With PoJK premier Raja Farooq Haider Khan demanding reunification with India, the same fear is haunting his son Farooq now and that is why he wants POJK to remain permanently with Pakistan, apprehended Brig Gupta. Rather than liberating POJK as promised by his father and the unanimous resolution passed by Indian Parliament, Dr. Abdullah has meekly submitted to the Pak narrative which has added to the confusion of Kashmiri youth, reiterated the spokesperson.
