NC mulling action plan to implement recommendations --Rising Kashmir

Abid Bashir / Javed Mehrab
Srinagar / Jammu, Dec 24: A day after Prime Minister’s Working Group on Centre-State relations headed by Justice Sagir favoured autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir, ruling National Conference Thursday said the report had vindicated NC’s stand and added that the party would devise a policy and take people into confidence on implementing autonomy in the State.

Finance Minister and senior National Conference leader, Abdur Rahim Rather in Jammu said the report had vindicated NC’s stand of restoration of autonomy in Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Sagar said that NC would devise a policy and take people into confidence on implementing autonomy in the State.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the inaugural ceremony of JDA Park in Jammu, Rather, who represented NC in Prime Minister’s Working Group on Centre-State relations said: “During my presentation at the WG group meeting I emphasized on the need to restore autonomy to address the Kashmir issue.”
In response to a question on abrogation of Article 370, Rather reacted sharply saying the constituent assembly that was entrusted with the job of framing the constitution of the State had the mandate to abrogate the Article 370.
“Since we don’t have the constituent assembly now, there is no one who can abrogate the Article 370,” Rather said. “It (Article 370) is now the permanent feature of Indian constitution.”
Reacting to the self-rule proposal of opposition Peoples Democratic Party, the senior NC leader said that from day one NC had been saying that PDP was only raising hollow slogans and had not tabled any credible document during the Working Group meetings.
Rather said PDP had stolen some material from the original draft of the autonomy resolution.
Meanwhile, talking to Rising Kashmir at Nawa-e-Subh party headquarters after becoming party’s first basic member for Srinagar district, senior NC leader Ali Muhammad Sagar said NC would devise a policy and take people into confidence on implementing autonomy in the State.
He said when BJP led NDA rejected NC’s autonomy proposal in 2000, NC President Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said that rejecting the autonomy was temporary.
Sagar said NC had already stated that “India will have to rethink on the autonomy proposal”.
“Time proved us right. We’re thankful to Justice Sagir for his recommendations, especially the one about considering autonomy,” the law minister said.
The chief minister has asked Sagar to prepare an action plan for the implementation of WG recommendations.
“We’ll chalk out a policy on how to ensure implementation of WG recommendations, especially autonomy. For that we will have to take Farooq sahib, Omar sahib and the people into confidence,” he said.
The law minister said chief minister had been lobbying hard to see the recommendations of 5th WG made public.
“We had been saying that PDP’s self-rule proposal was no document,” Sagar said. “There is no truth that PDP was not provided a chance to present the document. Justice Sagir had been asking PDP time and again to present the document but the party failed to do so.”
On Justice Sagir’s recommendation that autonomy can be examined in the light of ‘Kashmir accord’, Sagar evaded the query about what accord he was pointed at. “Many accords have taken place since 1952.”
The law minister said if anyone comes up with any other solution that is better than autonomy, NC would not oppose that. “We won’t object to any solution that is better than autonomy. We’re very liberal,” he said.
Earlier, speaking at the inaugural function of membership drive, NC General Secretary, Sheikh Nazir said people of Kashmir had been fighting for their identity right from 1847. “We were sold for Rs 1 under the infamous Amritsar accord on 3 March 1847. This is what prompted Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah to raise the slogan of Bainama Amritsar Ko Tod Do, Kashmir Hamara Chod Do (Revoke the Amritsar treaty, leave Kashmir,” Nazir told party workers.
He said Indian struggle against British rule and Kashmir struggle were two different things.
“It was Indian kings who helped British rulers sneak into India and rule it. In Kashmir, people were fighting atrocities of Hindu kings,” Nazir said.
He said India had already split into three parts - India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
“Who knows, it may further get divided into more countries given the condition in many of its States,” Nazir said amid an appeal to party workers not to leave the slogan of, Ye mulk hamara hain iska faisla hum karain gay (This is our land, we will decide its fate).
However, Nazir said being in power is the way to reach out to the destination and can't be termed greed.