Hope NDA govt will reconsider new criminal laws, says Omar

Last updated: July 2, 2024 1:43 am

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Kulgam, Dec 6 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) Vice President Omar Abdullah attend a public meeting, at Chawalgam, in Kulgam on Wednesday. (ANI Photo)

Srinagar, July 01: National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah on Monday expressed hope that the NDA coalition government will reconsider the implementation of three new criminal laws in the country.
Talking to reporters at the party office here, Omar said they had hoped that a new government to be formed after the Lok Sabha elections and these laws would be reviewed but it has not happened. “However, this is not purely a BJP government as the party did not get a majority. This is an NDA government,” he said.
The former chief minister said these laws are subject to change and they hope that the NDA constituents will rethink these laws. At the end of the day, these are human-made laws and these can be changed. These should be reviewed, he said.
“We have expressed our apprehensions about these laws right from the start. It is said that no law is bad in itself. The problem lies in the way the laws are used. However, the laws that are being implemented today have much more room for misuse than the earlier laws. We have usually seen whenever the governments get an opportunity, they misuse the laws,” he added.
Abdullah also expressed concern that Jammu and Kashmir might be the first region to experience the adverse effects of these laws. “All these laws are first used against the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and then the rest of the country feels the effects. We will have to bear the consequences,” he said.
Omar recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise that assembly elections will be held in Jammu and Kashmir. “A new government will be formed and then we will find out where these laws are implemented,” he said.
Addressing the permission granted to jailed Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdul Rashid to take the oath as an MP on July 05, Abdullah said that while Rashid would take the oath, the people of Baramulla constituency would still lack proper representation.
“NIA has given permission for oath-taking, and now he will take the oath in the Speaker’s chamber. The regrettable part is that the people of Baramulla will still not have their representative, as he has been granted permission to take the oath but would not be able to serve as their representative,” he said.