Srinagar, Dec 26: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President and Member of Parliament from Srinagar Dr Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday asked people to “stand up against the divisive forces that are trying to weaken J&K from within”.
Addressing a meeting of delegates of Hazratbal constituency at the party headquarters here, Dr Farooq said, “Unity is key to progress and peace. Societies that have withstood divisive forces have grown into great nations. We should stop seeing ourselves as Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. We have to shun narrow-mindedness and hold on to a single rope. It becomes all the more important to preserve our culture, language and traditions in our families in the wake of the attempts aimed at destroying it by forces inimical to our unique political identity. I am sure that people will foil all such attempts by keeping the flame of unity and brotherhood alive.”
He added, “I see no way of achieving anything in J&K without a lasting unity between different sections of our society. We have to stop seeing ourselves as Hindu-Muslim, Shia-Suni, Barelvi-Deobandi. Unity in diversity must be our creed to last for all time and under all circumstances, otherwise, there is no end in sight to our common problems in the shape of poverty, unemployment, and under-development. Our mutual discord will make our descent into darkness.”
The NC chief asked the workers to remain steadfast in their mission of salvaging the people from the whirlpool of miseries by striking unity and looking beyond their personal interests.
Party’s General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar in his address, said, “The current bureaucratic set-up has pushed the people of Jammu and Kashmir into a whirlwind of despair, while the youth are frustrated and hopeless; unemployment and development deficit have crippled our people. Common people aren’t listened to, all the decisions and actions are devoid of public scrutiny.”
