‘Restoring’ J&K people’s rights NC’s top priority: Omar Abdullah

Srinagar, Sept 29: National Conference (NC) vice president and candidate for Ganderbal and Budgam, Omar Abdullah on Sunday reiterated the party’s commitment to fight for the “restoration of all the abridged rights” of the people of Jammu & Kashmir.
Addressing back-to-back election rallies in Baramulla, Handwara and Tangdhar, he said, “The National Conference will not let anyone compromise or trade away our rights.”
Omar in his address said, “Only 14 million people once had the exclusive rights to the land, employment, education, rivers, forests, and other resources of Jammu and Kashmir. However, on August 5, 2019, our rights were forcefully stripped away and handed over to 1.4 billion people. The current BJP government is determined to put an official stamp on their actions in the Assembly. We have therefore no other option but to stop them.”
The former chief minister said that assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir are being held after a decade and a lot has changed in these ten years. “A lot has been taken away from us, our dignity, our honour, our identity has been taken away from us. Before 2019, when there were assembly elections, we had our own flag, we had our own constitution, Ladakh was our part, we had our own state, we had the right to our own land in the state, we had the right to our own employment, we had the right to rivers, mountains and forests,” he said.
Abdullah slammed the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), saying the party opened the doors for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here. “And finally on August 5, 2019, the rights of 1.4 crore people were taken away and given to 1 billion 40 crore people and the people here got nothing in return. People here have seen nothing but destruction, unemployment and despair. The last ten years have been very upsetting for the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.