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Our people betrayed us, says Abdullah

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah today described autonomy as an "urge" of the people of the state, but added, "We won't take any step that will weaken the country."

Abdullah, who returned from Delhi today, advised members of the state legislative assembly to restrain themselves and not make "sweeping remarks on men and matters". He himself intervened to clear a few points raised by his younger brother, Industries Minister Sheikh Mustafa Kamal. "Holding the Centre responsible for everything is not fair," he said. "If we introspect, it will be clear that people from amongst us stabbed us and eroded Article 370. If they had not betrayed the people, the Centre could not have done anything."

Abdullah said there were people in India who "encourage dialogue and support the demand for autonomy". He referred to Congress leader Digvijay Singh's statement in this regard and added, "Here lies the difference between India and Pakistan. In this country, we can discuss and debate, while in the neighbouring country even prime ministers are taken to the gallows."

Abdullah said his government would never allow excesses on the people. He admitted that the lower ranks of the security forces seem to have an impression that "every Kashmiri Muslim is a Pakistani. They sometimes commit mistakes which have to be avoided."

Public Works Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar strongly pleaded for restoration of autonomy to the state and said no opposition member in the assembly could oppose this on constitutional or legal grounds. He came down heavily on those who doubted Abdullah's nationalistic credentials. He also described as unfortunate the Centre's overtures towards the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference and its leaders who question the state's very accession with the Union of India while the National Conference, whose leadership and cadre is offering sacrifices for the country, is viewed with suspicion.

Mustafa Kamal said the autonomy report had rekindled the hopes of Kashmiris for political justice and honour. Participating in the debate, Dr Kamal said erosion of autonomy, conspiracies to topple state governments, and the arrest of Sheikh Abdullah had created mistrust among the people of the state. Restoration of autonomy would remove that mistrust, he said.

"We criticise Pakistan for the present trouble in Kashmir, but the central leadership cannot absolve itself of their mistakes and conspiracies against duly elected governments in the state," Kamal said.

He said security forces were harassing innocent people and National Conference workers and said categorically that "NC will not agree to trifurcation of the state".

Qamar Ali Akhoon described the strike in Leh district against autonomy as a "gimmick of some vested interests". Leh, he said, should not be mistaken for Ladakh. Ladakhis are not against greater autonomy for the state, he said, pointing out that the National Conference had won three seats from the region in the 1996 election on the autonomy plank.

Shia leader Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, who supports the autonomy demand, said the Hurriyat Conference has no representative character and any move by the Centre to initiate a dialogue with it would mean thrusting gunmen on the people of the state.

The lone Communist Party of India, Marxist, member M Y Tarigami said the matter involved Centre-state relations and needed to be discussed in proper perspective. "One should not expect the security forces to find a political solution to the problem," he said. "Restoration of autonomy would release undue pressure on the security forces in the state."

Prem Lal of the Bharatiya Janata Party opposed the motion on the autonomy report, saying, "Autonomy will give birth to new problems." He felt autonomy would "deprive the scheduled castes of their reservation rights".

Prithvi Chand, also of the BJP, said restoration of autonomy would create more problems and add to the "discrimination against the Jammu and Ladakh regions". He wondered how militancy could be contained by granting greater autonomy.

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