By Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 6: After the affairs of the State, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Dr Farooq Abdullah has put the responsibility of the National Conference on the shoulders of the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah by appointing him working president of the party. However, Dr Farooq made it clear that he has no plan to quit State politics and settle in the Centre.
Making an announcement in this regard, Dr Abdullah told media-persons here this morning that due to his busy schedule in the Centre he was not able to take care of party activities and the cadre had ‘resentment’ against him for ignoring the party functioning.
“Notwithstanding the fact that party needs time, I am not in a position to spare enough time for party activities because I, being a Union Minister, have to frequently visit various parts of the country and abroad as such the party has unanimously decided to appoint Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, as working president of the party”, he said.
When asked that Chief Minister was also busy in handling the affairs of a State, which is confronting with many problems, Dr Farooq said, “Omar is not much busy. Moreover, he remains in Jammu and Kashmir and can easily spare required time for managing the affairs of the party and gear up its activities, which are imperative to further strengthen the party”.
Asked whether making Omar working president of the party can be presumed that he has decided to quit State politics, Dr Farooq said, “I have no plan to quit State politics and settle in the Centre”, adding “I will continue as National Conference president and would keep reviewing the happenings in the party as its head”.
He informed that MLA Sheikh Mustafa Kamal has been made additional general secretary of the party and Member Parliament Shafi Uri as Chief Spokesperson. MLA from Kishtwar, Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo is the party’s spokesperson for Jammu region and Tanvir Sadiq as spokesperson for Kashmir province. Prominent Gujjar leader Abdul Rashid Badana has been made vice-president of Gujjar and Bakerwal Cell of National Conference.
Dr Farooq said that he has directed all the party Ministers to start visiting different areas of Jammu region before Darbar Move to take stock of people’s grievances. “They have also been asked to give prior information to the party about their visits so that local units of the National Conference in the visiting areas are alerted for better coordination and strengthening the party activities”, he added.
In response to a question about the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association scam, Dr Farooq said, “police is investigating the matter and auditors are on job”, adding “we had written to the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) to appoint their auditors but they wanted to conduct an independent investigation of JKCA accounts. Hopefully, independent auditors would be in State within next few days”.
“We want to make things clear and expose the culprits. We want to know how the funds were misused and who actually did it”, the Union Minister said, adding “we have decided not to lay the foundation stone of cricket stadium at Bajalta unless the ongoing investigation into the embezzlement of funds in the JKCA is completed”.
About allegations leveled by PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti against him over Haji Yousaf incident, he said that no money was ever collected by Haji Yousaf for the National Conference. “If he had collected the money that might be for his own use”, he further said, adding “every thing would be clear when Justice Bedi would submit his report”.
Responding to a question about the meeting of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President, Asif Ali Zardari, Dr Farooq said, “I as National Conference president welcomes Zardari’s visit to India and hope that Zardari’s visit would bring both the nations closer”.
Hoping that the meeting between Prime Minister and Zardari will be fruitful, he said, “I think Pakistan President will respond to our Prime Minister and both the leaders would succeed in breaking the ice and bringing both the countries together”.
On Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jammat-ud-Dava (JuD) chief Saeed Hafeez, the Union Minister said, “India has already given enough evidences to Pakistan about his involvement in terrorist activities”, adding “our Foreign Minister has already made it clear that Pakistan has to take action against all those who had masterminded or were involved in 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai”.
“Moreover, bringing such people to book is imperative to improve India-Pakistan relations”, he added.
About US-based Kashmiri activist Ghulam Nabi Fai, Dr Farooq said, “it is an established fact that he was promoting agenda of Pakistan-based ISI in America. He was ISI frontman in US”, adding “there are several people in Jammu and Kashmir, who were on payroll of Fai and that’s why they are seeking less severe punishment for him”.
“These people have no concern for those who shed their blood during the turmoil in Valley and Hindu migrants, who had to leave the Valley due to violence”, Dr Farooq regretted, adding “all such people are responsible for destruction in Jammu and Kashmir”.
Dr Farooq parried questions about reshuffle in J&K Council of Ministers by saying “this is an issue between Chief Minister and the Congress people. I have nothing to do with this”.
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