Their strings are connected somewhere else: Omar on AIP-Jamaat alliance

Srinagar, Sept 16: National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah on Monday said the actions of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) and former members of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) are being influenced by external forces.
Speaking to reporters at the Pampore Assembly constituency in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, Omar said, “Their strings are connected elsewhere and they follow orders from those pulling the strings.”
He said that AIP, with the support of former members of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami, is fielding independent candidates to compete with the NC. “They have been put up to challenge the National Conference. We have no problem with it; we will fight them,” he added.
Responding to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s claims that 30,000 people would attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Srinagar, Dr Abdullah said crowd size doesn’t necessarily mean votes. “Gathering people for rallies is easy with money, but that doesn’t mean votes. Show me votes, not rallies,” he said.
When asked about the BJP accusing the NC of dynastic rule, the former chief minister said the saffron party has “nothing” to show for its six years of direct governance in & and Kashmir. “If they had done something for the people, they would present a report card. But they are failing, so they make other claims,” he said.
Omar said that NC has had a good campaign during the first phase of the elections, with strong participation from the public. “Our campaign has been solid, and we are optimistic that a significant number of votes will go to NC candidates,” he said.