Omar Abdullah creating ‘hypothetical narrative’ for his loss: Sajad Lone

Srinagar, May 09: People’s Conference President Sajad Gani Lone on Thursday said the National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah is attempting to create a “hypothetical narrative” for his loss in the North Kashmir Parliament seat.
He made these remarks in response to Omar Abdullah’s claims that he is being denied permission for campaigns on Lone’s orders.
Addressing the media persons here, Lone said the directives issued to the National Conference (NC) were also served to the Peoples Conference. He said they are not being treated differently by the administration and that they are not complaining like Abdullah.
Sajad said the NC is aware that it is unlikely to win the seat, citing low attendance at their conventions compared to the increasing number of people joining the Peoples Conference. He attributed their actions to frustration over their impending loss.
Referring to Omar Abdullah as one of the most heavily protected individuals in India after the Prime Minister, the PC Chief said he does not understand the suffering of the Kashmiri people. I am among those people who were tortured, arrested and jailed during the NC’s tenure, he claimed.
Lone challenged the NC to focus on their 32 years of rule in Kashmir instead of highlighting his 2.5 years in government. He accused them of introducing strict laws such as the Public Safety Act (PSA) and Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) to suppress Kashmiri people.
Responding to a question, Sajad said he was confused over being labelled as a Pakistani by Farooq Abdullah and a BJP proxy by the NC. He denied ever picking up a weapon and said he was detained for a brief period but later released.
Lone also slammed the NC for not addressing the issue of prolonged detention under a single First Information Report (FIR). He accused the party of continuously making baseless accusations instead of focusing on addressing grievances.