Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday criticised former RAW Chief Amarjit Singh Dulat’s recent book, which has sparked controversy over its portrayal of Dr Farooq Abdullah.
Omar Abdullah criticised Dulat, saying he prioritises selling books over truth and humiliated Farooq Abdullah in his latest book, “The Chief Minister and the Spy.”
“To sell his book, it is Dulat sahib’s habit not to go with the truth. In his first book, he spared no one, and in this book, he left no stone unturned to humiliate Farooq sahib. It is said that when you have friends like this, there is no need for enemies. Finally, Farooq sahib has found out the truth about Dulat sahib,” said J-K CM.
The book’s contents have sparked debate, with some opposition parties interpreting it as revealing hidden political negotiations. Dulat, however, dismisses claims that Farooq Abdullah privately backed the Centre’s move to abrogate Article 370, calling such reports “absolutely misquoted.”
Omar Abdullah also questioned People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti’s credibility in accepting Dulat’s claims about Farooq Abdullah.
Omar Abdullah asked Mehbooba Mufti to clarify how she would make people believe Dulat’s claims about Farooq Abdullah are true, given his past writings about her father.
“If Mehbooba Ji considers everything written by Daulat Sahib to be true, then should we also consider what he wrote about her father in his first book to be true? If we consider it the truth, then she should answer the question of how she will make the people believe it,” said Omar Abdullah.
The reaction comes after PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the National Conference (NC), following revelations made in former R&AW Chief Amarjit Singh Dulat’s book regarding Farooq Abdullah’s stance on Article 370.
Reacting to Dulat’s claims, Mehbooba said she wasn’t surprised by the content, accusing the NC of shifting stances for the sake of power.
“I am not surprised after reading that, as it has been the National Conference’s stance that they can do anything for power. It has been going on since 1947 — at times, they wanted to come with India, given that they were in power; if not, they wanted to have a discussion,” said Mehbooba.
She criticised Sheikh Abdullah’s changing political narrative and referred to his long imprisonment, saying, “He was in jail for 22 years along with the people, but when they came to power, the discussion ended,” she said.
Highlighting the fallout of political manipulation in the Valley, Mehbooba said, “How rigging was done in 1987 for the Chair, and that resulted in guns coming to the valley, and it took lakhs of our young lives…”
She also targeted NC vice-president Omar Abdullah, alleging that he had offered support to the BJP during the PDP-BJP talks.
“When PDP and BJP were in talks, Omar Abdullah went to Delhi many times and offered them unconditional support,” she added.
Meanwhile, on the ongoing Waqf Act hearing in the Supreme Court, Abdullah expressed hope that the Supreme Court’s verdict will address concerns raised by the Muslim community and urged people to maintain peace over the issue.
“We hope that when the verdict is pronounced, there will be solutions to the issues raised by the Muslim community in the Waqf Act….There should be no violence over this Bill,” he said.
Addressing the Pakistan Army chief’s statement, Omar Abdullah dismissed his comments on Kashmir, questioning why Pakistan doesn’t raise issues about the portion of Ladakh occupied by China.
He noted, “This is nothing new. They have been saying this for a long time. When you talk about Indian territory occupied by Pakistan, why don’t you also raise the issue about the portion of Ladakh which China has taken?”
This comes after Asim Munir, during his address at the Convention for Overseas Pakistanis event, said that India and Pakistan differ in every conceivable aspect, including religions, customs, traditions, thoughts and ambitions, reinforcing the Two-Nation Theory that led to Pakistan’s creation in 1947.
Munir invoked the ‘two-nation theory’, which was responsible for the creation of Pakistan back in 1947 and asked the Pakistan citizens to teach their children the difference between Hindus and Muslims, which was the basis for the creation of the Islamic Republic.
During his address at the Convention for Overseas Pakistanis event on Wednesday, Pakistan General Asim Munir had said that the forefathers of Pakistan have taught that they are different from “Hindus” in every possible aspect, due to which the foundation of the two-nation theory was laid.
“You must tell the story of Pakistan to your children so that they do not forget the story of Pakistan. Our forefathers believed that we were distinct from Hindus in every possible way. Our religion is different, our customs are different, our traditions are different, our ambitions are different, and our thoughts are different. That is the foundation of the two-nation theory, which was laid, the foundation of the two nations,” Asim Munir said during his address on Wednesday. (ANI)
