Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 17: National Conference president and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah today rejected claims that the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was being “deliberately blocked” to hurt the Valley’s fruit industry.
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Speaking to reporters in Anantnag, Abdullah said the repeated damage to the highway, resulting in its prolonged closures, was “the wrath of the Almighty.”
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“There was no deliberate attempt. Did people break the mountains? Did people bring the rains? It is the wrath of the Almighty because we are away from Him. We do not maintain a connection with Him, and that is why we are facing this,” he remarked.
It may be recalled that his party colleague and Srinagar MP, Syed Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, had recently alleged that there appeared to be a “pattern” aimed at “disempowering” the people of Kashmir both politically and economically, adding that the prolonged highway blockades seemed “deliberate.”
On politicising the plight of apple growers, who are incurring heavy losses, Abdullah said some individuals were benefitting from such controversies.
“Politics will not die in Kashmir. Their homes run on politics. Some are getting money from Delhi, and once that stops, they will collapse,” he said.
He added that hardships should serve as a reminder for people to reconnect with faith.
“We need to correct ourselves. These hardships wake us up and urge us to remember the Almighty, because ultimately we have to return to Him,” Abdullah said.
Commenting on global issues, he referred to the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the silence of the Muslim countries.
“Look at what is happening in Gaza, where Israel is trying to decimate them. Thousands are being killed. Are any Muslim countries speaking up? No. Why? Because they are distant from the Almighty. But in fact, He is testing them,” he added.
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