Neither gun, nor pro-Hurriyat sentiment has ended in Kashmir post Article 370 rollback: Omar Abdullah

‘Encounters taking place in areas where we had brought peace; local boys picking up arms; where are jobs, development promised by Centre after taking away special status, slicing J&K into two halves’

Kupwara, Dec 13: Lashing out at the BJP led government at the Centre, National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah Monday said that neither gun north the pro-Hurriyat sentiment has ended in Kashmir post abrogation of Article 370 by the Centre on August 5, 2019. He also said that local boys are picking up arms and asked the Government of India (GoI) where the jobs and the development are promised by it at the time of rolling back special status and slicing the erstwhile state into two halves.

Addressing party workers at northern district of Kupwara, Omar said that he doesn’t see any development taking place in J&K post Article 370 roll back. “Where are the jobs promised by the Centre. Instead, unemployment has increased manifold inJ&K,” he said as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO). Omar said that neither gun nor the pro-Hurriyat sentiment has ended in Kashmir as claimed by the Centre time and again.

“Local boys are picking up arms and joining militancy. Encounters are taking place in the areas where we had brought complete peace during our tenure,” he said.

Talking about the regular worker’s conventions being organized by NC over the past couple of days in both Kashmir and Jammu divisions, Omar said that it was not the preparation for Assembly elections in the region. “Delimitation commission has not completed its work yet. Let it complete its report, we will act accordingly,” he said.

Omar said that the conventions are aimed to reach out to the party workers and look into the issues forthcoming and get things on the right track.

“Everyone is concerned and worried beside each individual is helpless and there is anger among them given the insecurity among the people”, he said. “The civil administration is making people suffer and had it been under our control we would have shown it.”

He said: “Undoubtedly, after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 05, 2019, Kashmir has changed but there has been no improvement. Changes are of two types which include for good and the other is devastation and since then there has been devastation only”, he said—(KNO)