Do not precipitate situation: Omar
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday asked the BJP not to “precipitate” the situation in the Valley by going ahead with its “Ekta Yatra” to hoist tricolour at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk on Republic Day. Dismissing Mr Omar’s appeal, the BJP said that it does not need a no objection certificate from the chief minister and it would be better if Mr Abdullah welcomes the Yatra when it reaches the state.
Mr Omar met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and home minister P. Chidambaram and apprised them of the situation. He said he would be in close touch with the home ministry on how to deal with any situation arising out of the BJP programme and emphasised that the periods around 26th of January and 15th of August are sensitive for the state. “I am not going into get into any specific as to what we are going to do. As I said time and again, we are hoping that nothing will be done to precipitate the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. As we come close to January 26, we will decide what we will do,” he said after a 40-minute meeting with Mr Chidambaram.
BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said instead of making statements on BJP youth wing’s plans to hoist the tricolour in the valley, Mr Abdullah should focus on ensuring that Pakistani flags are not unfurled in the state, he said. “The CM should let Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and JKLF chief Yasin Malik make statements on the issue and focus on ensuring that Pakistani flags are no waived in Jammu and Kashmir,” Mr Hussain said. He rejected contentions that hoisting the national flag at Lal Chowk would create tension in the Valley.
Mr Omar, who had a “fairly detailed meeting” with Mr Chidambaram, pitched for the revocation of the Disturbed Areas Act from some urban areas in the state. He also said that his government was making constant endeavour to bring back the Kashmiri Pandits, who had fled the Valley in the wake of militancy two decades back, as Kashmir was “incomplete’’ without them.
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