Srinagar, Apr 09: People’s Democratic Front (PDF) President, Hakeem Muhammad Yaseen on Wednesday accused the ruling party of deliberately skipping the discussion on the controversial Waqf Amendment Bill in the Assembly to please the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In a statement issued here, Hakeem welcomed the move by some national political parties and Member Parliament, Srinagar, Syed Aga Ruhullah who individually approached the court by filing writ petitions against the bill. “This principled stand only exposed the National Conference’s duplicity and dangerous silence in the Assembly,” he said.
By avoiding the debate, the NC has openly surrendered before the BJP, Yaseen said, adding, “Their silence wasn’t accidental, it was a calculated move to appease the ruling party. At a time when the people of Jammu and Kashmir expected them to resist, they chose to compromise.”
The former minister said this isn’t the first time, they (NC) have mastered the art of silence over the last 70 years. “And now, yet again, they’ve stabbed public sentiment in the back,” he added.
The PDF Chief said the NC’s decision not to confront the bill in the legislature was nothing short of a political sell-out. “They had the numbers, the mandate and the responsibility—but lacked the spine. Instead of confronting the bill head-on, they watched in silence as a vital institution linked to our religious and cultural identity was undermined,” he said.
Taking direct aim at Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Hakeem accused him of playing the role of a “mute spectator” when the people needed leadership the most. “He remained conspicuously silent on all major forums. Neither protested nor defended the people’s interests. This silence speaks volumes, it was deliberate and complicit,” he said.
Hakeem also ridiculed the NC’s newfound willingness to approach the courts. “Now, under public pressure, they are talking about filing writ petitions. This is damage control—an attempt to cover up their shameful conduct in the Assembly. But the people are not fools. They see through this eyewash,” he said.
He demanded a public apology from the NC leadership, saying they had deceived the faith of the people who had reposed full trust in them by giving them a clear mandate. “What happened in the Assembly wasn’t a lapse—it was collusion. And history will remember it as yet another chapter in the NC’s long record of compromises,” he said.
