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India.com
4 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
Martyrs' Day Sparks Political Storm In Kashmir: Omar Scales Wall, Faces Criticism
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who was out of Kashmir on Sunday, came under criticism by opposition parties for being absent on Martyrs' Day. He reached the Valley around 7 PM and claimed that he had called the police control room expressing his wish to visit the martyrs' graveyard, but a bunker was placed at his gate until 12 AM, preventing him from leaving. On Monday, Omar Abdullah, without informing security or the administration, along with Farooq Abdullah and other party leaders, broke through four barricades and jumped over the fencing wall to visit the Mazaar-e-Shuhada (Martyrs' Graveyard) at Srinagar's Naqshband Sahib shrine. He paid tribute to the martyrs of July 13, 1931. Omar again claimed that he was stopped midway at Nawhatta Chowk by police and CRPF, and a police bunker was placed on the road. However, they forcibly proceeded toward the graveyard, where he said the gates of the shrine were locked. He scaled the grilled wall of the shrine with other leaders and offered Fatiha, paying tributes to the 1931 martyrs. Abdullah said, 'It's very unfortunate that the people who claim their duty is only to maintain law and order, on their instructions, we were not allowed to offer Fatiha at the martyrs' graveyard. Everyone was kept inside their homes. When I contacted the control room and said I wanted to go, a bunker was placed in front of my gate within minutes, and it remained there until 12 AM. They have a misunderstanding that these martyrs' graves exist only on July 13. Let it be not the 13th—be it the 12th, 14th, December, or January—these martyrs are here always, and we will come and offer respect whenever we want.' He added, 'Today I didn't inform them, but see how shameless they are—they wanted to stop us at Nawhatta Chowk and placed CRPF and a police bunker. They even tried to stop us forcibly. Some policemen forget what the law is. I want to know under which law they wanted to stop us. They even tried to physically grapple with me, tear our flag—but they couldn't stop us. We reached here and offered Fatiha.' Omar Abdullah said, 'They claim this is a free country, but sometimes they think we are their slaves. We want to tell them—we aren't their slaves; we are slaves to our people.' On Sunday, CM Omar Abdullah came under criticism from opposition political parties for being outside the Valley on July 13, Martyrs' Day. PDP chief spokesperson and Mehbooba Mufti's daughter, Iltija Mufti, sensing possible house arrest and restrictions on July 13, managed to reach the martyrs' graveyard on July 12 and offered tributes. She said in a video statement on X, 'Nothing has changed in J&K even after elections. Before becoming Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah sahab committed to honoring Martyrs' Day with pomp and ceremony. But a year later, after winning an overwhelming mandate, he chose to stay away in Delhi rather than stand up for his people and their history.' Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference Chairman Sajad Gani Lone took a jibe at both Omar Abdullah and Iltija Mufti, suggesting that their visits to the martyrs' graveyard—one a day before and one a day after—seemed scripted. He also advised Omar to step down, calling the way he was treated an insult to the Chief Minister's office and said he would be the first to follow him. Lone wrote on X, 'For a moment I was impressed. But now that you have given a ball-by-ball commentary of your so-called struggle in reaching the Martyrs Graveyard — I will bet my life. It was all scripted. I will still tell you. That the institution of Chief Minister is much bigger than the person of the incumbent Chief Minister. Please save this institution. Please step down. I will be the first person to follow you. " 'That a security person would try to grapple or stop a Chief Minister is a humiliation for all of us. Don't set a precedent which others will have to follow—a precedent of humiliation. These choreographed events are too predictable. Stop insulting the intelligence of the common Kashmiri. 'There are two King's parties in Kashmir. One gets to have dramatic access a day before July 13, and the second one gets access a day after July 13. Truly magical.' The BJP's Jammu and Kashmir unit has opposed observing this day as Martyrs' Day, claiming the individuals were not martyrs but rioters who looted Pandit shops and killed Kashmiri Pandits on that day. BJP UT spokesman Altaf Thakur said, 'It was a political drama to keep himself relevant. Everyone knows it's been nine months since the NC has been in government, and they have failed to deliver. Now Omar sahab is playing an emotional card to come into the spotlight. And if we talk about July 13, it's a Black Day in history—the day when Kashmiri Pandits' shops were looted and burned. Even today, Kashmiri Pandits remember it as 'Lootmar ka Din' and observe it as a Black Day. Those whom they call martyrs—we don't consider them martyrs; they were rioters. It was all a conspiracy led by Qadir, who was in jail, and that day, 11 Pandits were killed. They were put in bags and thrown in the river. BJP considers martyrs to be Maqbool Sherwani, DSP Yaqoob, and thousands of others who sacrificed their lives for the country.' Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee backed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, calling the incident unfortunate and unconstitutional. Replying to Omar on X, she wrote, 'What is wrong in visiting the graveyard of martyrs? This is not only unfortunate, but it also snatches the democratic right of a citizen. What happened this morning to an elected Chief Minister @OmarAbdullah is unacceptable. Shocking. Shameful.' On July 13, the Srinagar district administration had issued a public advisory (dated July 12, 2025), denying permission for visits to the graveyard, citing law and order concerns. Restrictions and heavy police deployment were enforced in Srinagar, including house arrests of several political leaders, locked gates, and road barricades to prevent people and leaders from reaching the martyrs' graveyard. Martyrs' Day is observed in Kashmir in remembrance of the 22 people who were killed while protesting during Azan in 1931. It was previously a public holiday in Kashmir, with visits to the martyrs' graveyard by both mainstream and separatist groups. After the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the July 13 holiday was removed, and official functions at the graveyard were banned. Martyrs' Day commemorates those 22 individuals who died protesting against the rule of Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh. All regional political parties, apart from Abdullah, condemned the administration's actions and restrictions across Srinagar. After coming to power, the National Conference had promised to restore the historical significance of Martyrs' Day. Omar's government had earlier formally requested the Lieutenant Governor to reinstate July 13 as a public holiday.
NDTV
5 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
"What A Shame": Omar Abdullah Slams House Arrests On Kashmir Martyrs' Day
Srinagar: Several ministers in the Omar Abdullah-led Jammu and Kashmir government, MLAs and top leaders of the ruling party and the Opposition were put under house arrest or detained to prevent them from observing Kashmir Martyrs' Day today. The administration of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha denied permission for any event to mark the anniversary of the 1931 July 13 killings in Kashmir during a protest against Hari Singh, ruler of the then princely state of Jammu and Kashmir under British paramountcy. The Union Territory administration imposed restrictions in several parts of Srinagar and warned of strict action against anyone who tried to proceed towards the Martyrs' Graveyard. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah strongly condemned the restrictions and house arrests. "13th July massacre is our Jallianwala Bagh. The people who laid down their lives did so against the British. Kashmir was being ruled under the British Paramountcy. What a shame that true heroes who fought against British rule in all its forms are today projected as villains only because they were Muslims. We may be denied the opportunity to visit their graves today, but we will not forget their sacrifices," Mr Abdullah said in a post on X. Mehbooba Mufti, PDP leader and former Chief Minister, said the "dil ki doori" Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about will truly end the "day you accept our heroes as your own just as Kashmiris have embraced yours, from Mahatma Gandhi to Bhagat Singh". "When you lay siege to the Martyrs' Graveyard, lock people in their homes to prevent them from visiting Mazar-e-Shuhada, it speaks volumes. July 13th commemorates our martyrs those who rose against tyranny, much like countless others across the country. They will always be our heroes," she said. Sajad Lone, MLA and chief of Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference, said he had been put under house arrest. "I don't know why the union government is so keen to redefine what is sacred for the people of Kashmir. The sacrifices rendered on July 13 are sacred for all of us," he said on X, adding, "Histories that are etched in blood don't vanish". Earlier, the National Conference wrote to the Lieutenant Governor, urging him to restore the public holiday on July 13 in memory of those killed in the 1931 protest. But this request was turned down, and the district magistrate denied permission to hold any event. What Happened On July 13, 1931 July 13 is an epochal day in the history of Kashmir. On this day in 1931, a group of Kashmiris were protesting outside the Srinagar jail. They were supporters of Abdul Qadeer, who had called on Kashmiris to rise against Dogra ruler Hari Singh. He was charged with sedition. On July 13, a large group of protesters gathered outside the prison where Abdul Qadeer was being held. Faced with the protesters, the Maharaja's forces opened fire, killing 22 people. The July 13 killings triggered massive protests and forced the Dogra ruler and the British to look into the grievances of the Muslim community in the Valley. The first Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir were also a political fallout of the July 13 killings. These polls marked the beginning of the democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir after centuries of autocratic rule, even though the Maharaja had sweeping powers. What Has Changed Earlier, police personnel gave a gun salute and floral tributes were offered at the Martyrs' Graveyard on July 13 every year. Political leaders would pay tributes and hold public meetings in memory of those killed in 1931. But ever since the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was revoked in 2019 and the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two Union territories, the administration has prohibited any function at the Martyrs' graveyard. Since 2020, July 13 and December 5 -- former Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister and Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah's birth anniversary -- have been dropped as official holidays. Instead, the birth anniversary of Hari Singh is now a public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir.
Indian Express
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Sajad Lone: ‘Post-polls, Omar sounds and behaves more BJP than BJP… So-called secular media grills us, the oligarchs are let off'
Sajad Lone's Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference (JKPC), Hakim Yasin's People's Democratic Front (PDF) and a Jamaat-e-Islami faction Justice and Development Front (JDF) that contested the 2024 J&K Assembly polls, have recently formed an alliance to offer a political 'alternative' in the Union Territory. The alliance has been named the People's Alliance for Change (PAC). In an interview with The Indian Express, Sajad Lone speaks on a range of issues including the PAC's roadmap and the performance of the Omar Abdullah-led National Conference (NC) government in J&K. Excerpts: I believe it (the alliance) is the need of the moment. J&K politics has been plagued with a unique type of barrenness for decades. The same set faces in different forms and nomenclatures have ruled (J&K). It is dynastic and oligopolistic. Rulers changed all across the country. But despite three decades of violence, thousands of fatalities, high unemployment rates, the same set of rulers have persisted. One needs a broader alliance where we can pool our strengths, and truthfully create a feeling of an alternative, viable platform. And there is a shared past. A past defined by pain. The alliance can identify with the pain (of Kashmiris). Ironically, while almost all Kashmiris can narrate some incidents of pain, the only few who cannot are the ones who have been the rulers in the last three decades. The exigencies of governance were such that during their rule, people died, or were jailed, or tortured. Why are Kashmiris repeatedly electing the same set of people? Either Kashmiris do not know how to vote or the system is preset in such a manner that Kashmiris vote for a preset choice. We have our ideological differences within the alliance, but we have decided to work on the overlaps. This alliance works within the Constitution of India, and believes in the concept of India. It is as mainstream as any other party taking part in elections. And there should be no impediments created. The upheaval in the last three decades and the resultant pain is a function of denial of democracy. Let us hope that overtly or covertly the same denial does not prevail now. The pain of the past can be an enabler if it is used for reconciliation. There has to be a process to accept the (pain) and do what it takes to extricate them from the psyche. The belief that pain exists and is not imaginary is a point of convergence (for the alliance). You have to understand that the system is set in a particular way. The moment someone from the huge army of victims (in J&K) dares to challenge the incumbents, the existing oligarchs forget their internecine wars, get together, and accuse the newcomers of political treason. Before the BJP came to power, they would accuse them of being agents of the central covert agencies. After the BJP came to power, it is more fashionable to accuse them of being in league with the BJP. It is a different matter that there is not a single (ruling) party (in J&K) that has not had an alliance with BJP… For example, Mr Omar Abdullah was the junior foreign minister in the NDA regime under Mr (Atal Behari) Vajpayee… At a time when violence was high in Kashmir… This invariably meant that human right violations were rampant and it was the junior foreign minister Omar Abdullah's duty to blindly defend every killing in the Valley as genuine and deserving. (People's Democratic Party's) Mehbooba Mufti was the CM in coalition with the BJP. And post (the 2024) elections Omar Abdullah sounds, looks and behaves more like the BJP than even the BJP. While the so-called secular media in India will grill us, the oligarchs will be let off and barely asked any questions about their dalliances with the BJP. People of Kashmir too have to introspect and decide whose side they are on. Are they going to support those who scripted disasters — from rigging of 1987 elections to presiding over massacres, to blinding people… Or are they going to give dignity a chance and punish those who have punished the Kashmiris? I believe that an alliance should be stitched maybe even a decade in advance. You have national alliances. They do not wait for elections. Why should we wait? Why should it be linked? There are panchayat elections, and there are by-elections. I do not see any reason why we should wait for the next five years. And the group is going to grow. More people may join. *The Omar Abdullah government has said that J&K cannot function under the dual control of the CM office and the Raj Bhawan. How do you see this row? I think statehood is a matter of our rights, not charity. We all knew before elections that we are a UT. There are limited powers… When it comes to weaponising transfers of government employees, denying funds to constituencies of rivals, corruption, this government is second to none. It is only when it comes to delivering that the ruling party in unison complains of being powerless. The NC has been in power earlier too. And in their earlier tenures when we had full statehood and Article 370, they did not deliver then… Why do you expect them to deliver now? The NC had promised the moon to the electorate… They promised free electricity for up to 200 units… 12 gas cylinders per year, regularising 61,000 daily wagers… creating 1,00,000 new jobs. I have calculated that their promises would cost the exchequer Rs 12,000 crore per year. Where will they get it from? While I bat for statehood and believe it is humiliating to live as a UT, absence of statehood should not be used as an excuse by the NC to renege on the promises made during elections. But an Omar Abdullah who leaves no chance in singing hymns in praise of Modi ji, and bends over backwards trying to please them, should be the last person to talk about dual control. The Assembly is the constitutional institution to raise such issues. In the Assembly, he has been praising Modi ji. Outside the Assembly, he talks about dual control and that too obliquely. He is not willing to confront the BJP. We have so many Opposition Chief Ministers in the country. How many of them are chasing BJP leaders with expensive Kashmiri shawls? I believe, today, retrospectively, that Omar Abdullah should not have become the Chief Minister. As a mark of protest. This is totally a personal observation. It's not a political observation. It is humiliating to see him taking the knee at any given opportunity. What government? It is a big mess. Governance seems to be on a pause mode. We are into the tenth month of government. The Cabinet is yet to be expanded. There are only four ministers. Mr Omar Abdullah apparently has 32 big and small departments. How can he run so many departments? He is never in his office. J&K is administratively destined for disaster. *A subject that has been most debated since the NC came to power is the rationalisation of reservations. You have stated your position on the subject but what, to your mind, is a clear, workable solution on this issue? Reservation is a tool used to disempower the Kashmiri-speaking ethnic group. Time has come to call a spade a spade. It is advantageous to Jammu and disadvantageous to Kashmir. The recruitment lists released in the last few years follow a trend. The Kashmiris who make up about 65% of the population have been relegated to 20% in the recruitment lists. And this started in Congress time between 2002 to 2008. And has been carried on by the BJP. This is the typical national interest consensus. No national party or leader talks about it. The recurring national interest unanimous theme is that Kashmiris need to be taught a lesson. I have presented data in the Assembly which proves that approximately 80% of Jammu population is in the reserved category. They have crossed the line in reservations and they are in the process of signing a post dated cheque for disaster.
NDTV
23-04-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
"Multifaceted Terror Attack, Hit Economic Lifeline": J&K MLA Sajjad Lone
New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference (JKPC) MLA Sajad Lone told NDTV the terrorists who killed 26 tourists at Pahalgam launched a "multifaceted attack" to drag the region back to the dark days before special status was scrapped. Mr Lone said the people of Kashmir came out on the streets to reject terror in huge numbers, and they have crossed their threshold. "They are going to be resilient enough not to get threatened or cowed down by these cowards," Mr Lone told NDTV. He said a lot of common people spoke to him, but there was "a deafening silence". "You can see that as if this place is mourning. There is mourning in the air and it's from the core of the heart. They're mourning the loss of their friends, their tourists, their guests... Very rarely I've seen such a show of unanimity and unconditionally, unambiguously. There are no conditions attached. Everybody is condemning it," Mr Lone told NDTV. He pointed out that apart from the painful loss of civilians, the local people will also get hurt in many ways as the terror attack was meant to finish their economic lifeline. "I feel very odd talking about other things when people have died, somebody has lost a father, somebody has lost a husband, somebody has lost a son. But you have to understand that in this killing, this is a multifaceted terror attack. Of course, the most vicious part of it is to kill these innocent people who were tourists who had come here to have a good time," Mr Lone said. "And equally vicious, and a facet of this terror attack is to destroy and hit at, assault the economic lifeline of Kashmir, which is tourism. [They] smear our identity of hospitality, culture of hospitality with an indelible dark mark, a dark milestone. We have a culture of hospitality, which dates to more than 100 years," the MLA said. "These villains have come and uprooted everything for us, societally, socially, we don't know. We can't explain to the whole world it's not us. It was a soil that was used by outsiders. And tourism is an economic lifeline. They've hit at it and they know it hurts. They basically want Kashmiris to be out on the roads, be beggars and be tools for exploitation. So, as I said, it's multifaceted. In the short term, we see that they kill these innocent people. And in the longer term, it is the economic lifeline that they are struck at," Mr Lone said. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is meeting today to discuss a response to the Pahalgam terror attack, sources said. The CCS on Security is the highest decision-making body for appointing heads of national security agencies as well. The meeting included top leaders, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who were part of the committee. Earlier today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Indian Air Force Chief Marshal AP Singh, and other officials to discuss the security situation in the region. "The meeting discussed all issues related to the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The issue is expected to be discussed in further detail in the Cabinet Committee on Security meeting, likely to be held today," a source told news agency ANI.
Straits Times
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Kashmir killings shatter Modi's tourism success in troubled region
A tourist sits on the banks of Dal Lake with her belongings as she waits for transport to leave for Srinagar airport, following a suspected militant attack near south Kashmir's scenic Pahalgam, April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Sanna Irshad Mattoo SRINAGAR - Images and videos of gunshots ringing out in a meadow, bloodied bodies lying on the ground, and people fleeing across a dry river bed have shattered Kashmir's emergence as India's new tourism hotspot. The region's strikingly beautiful mountains, valleys and grand Mughal-era gardens had drawn record tourist arrivals stemming from five years of relative safety. Supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had touted the tourism boom as among his signature achievements. But Tuesday's attack by suspected militants who killed at least 26 tourists and wounded many more in Kashmir's scenic Pahalgam area, known for its glowing Himalayan peaks and fast-flowing streams, has left panicked tourists seeking an early exit at the start of the busy summer season. Modi, whose decision to strip Muslim-majority Kashmir's partial autonomy in 2019 after decades of anti-India violence led to widespread protests, and his finance minister both cut short separate overseas trips after vowing justice. He took a meeting of his top lieutenants at the airport itself upon return. Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, which both claim fully, and had been plagued by years of insurgent violence. Locals have called for a one-day protest against the deadliest such attack in Kashmir in decades, tourist operators are reporting massive cancellations, and airlines are running additional return flights from Kashmir's main city of Srinagar. Tourism is the backbone of the Kashmir valley's economy, and has been promoted heavily by the government and Indian airlines. Arrivals hit a record high of more than 3 million last year, from fewer than 831,000 in 2018, as India's widening middle class splurged on travel post-COVID, government data showed. But some Kashmir hardliners have derided the influx as a cultural invasion by visitors from the rest of mostly Hindu India. "We have a history of hospitality, but some cowardly terrorists want to destroy it all," Sajjad Lone, a local lawmaker and chief of the Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference party, told reporters. "People involved in tourism have, after a long time, begun to restart their lives. They had begun to dream. Make no mistake, these terror attacks are aimed at yet again disempowering us economically." A little-known militant group, the "Kashmir Resistance," claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media message. It said more than 85,000 "outsiders" had been settled in the region after arriving as tourists, vowing violence against such settlers. Civilian casualties, however, have fallen significantly in the past two decades, data shows. Tourist operators, taxi drivers, and other people involved in the industry condemned the attack and rued lost business at the start of the summer rush. The attack is also a big blow to Modi's attempts to draw foreign investments into the area. As desperate tourists tried to flee Kashmir, flight tickets briefly rose sharply before the government met with airline operators and "issued a strong advisory against surge pricing". "In the aftermath of the incident in Pahalgam, there is an unexpected demand from tourists seeking to return to their homes," the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in an advisory to all airlines. "Airlines are advised to take swift action to increase the number of flights." A top travel agent in Kashmir said on the condition of anonymity that they had to cancel about 90% of bookings for the next three months. Shakir Ahmed, manager at a tourist taxi union in Pahalgam, said all their 30 vehicles were sitting idle as people fled in the morning. "The streets are suddenly empty," he said. "Summers are like wedding celebrations for us, but this year, we will have nothing. We are nothing without the tourists." Inaugurating a tunnel in January connecting a key snow hotspot in Kashmir with some other tourist sites, Modi said the federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir was benefiting from infrastructure and other work in recent years. "Leaving behind the earlier difficult days, our Kashmir is now regaining its identity as a paradise on earth," he said. On Tuesday while on a visit to Saudi Arabia, he wrote on X: "Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice ... they will not be spared!" REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
