SRINAGAR: The heckling of three-time Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah by people during Eid prayers did not draw any condemnation or reaction from the mainstream camp, including Omar Abdullah.
Omar, who is tech-savvy and active on twitter, ignored the heckling of his father Farooq Abdullah inside the revered Hazratbal shrine by people during Eid prayers for chanting “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Jai Hind” during the all-party prayer meeting in New Delhi to pay tributes to late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Omar did not react and did not issue any statement to condemn the incident. NC spokesman Junaid Mattu, who is very active on twitter, too did not react and the party also observed total silence on the issue. Former Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and her party also chose to ignore it.
Even the Congress and other Kashmir-based parties, legislators and ex-legislators have maintained a studied silence on the issue. Abdullah was heckled by people when he entered the Hazratbal shrine to offer Eid prayers. They also chanted pro-Pakistan, pro-freedom, anti-India and pro-terrorist slogans.
Some people also showed him shoes and the senior Abdullah on the suggestion of his SSG commandos left the prayers mid-way.
The firebrand independent MLA Engineer Sheikh Abdur Rashid also slammed Abdullah for praising Vajpayee.
“Stop Farooq Abdullah, your praises for Vajpayee carry no logic. He buried your autonomy resolution and prince Umar Abdullah still continued in his cabinet. Sorry to say ur dynasty has always stabbed us,” Rashid tweeted.
Eid violence proves J&K far from normal
Srinagar: The violence in two days of Eid-ul-Adha in restive Kashmir and stone pelting indicates that situation in Kashmir is far from normal and continues to be fragile. On the first day of Eid militants shot dead three policeman and a BJP district president in south Kashmir. On second day of Eid, militants shot dead a forest department official Tariq Ahmad Malik in Kunzer area of Tangmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Thursday.
Eid also witnessed massive clashes between youth and security personnel near Eidgah area of downtown Srinagar after offering of Eid prayer on Wednesday morning. The youths chanted pro-Pakistan, pro-freedom and anti-India slogans and pelted stones on the police and the paramilitary personnel deployed there for maintaining law and order. The security men fired tear smoke shells and pellets to disperse the agitating youths so that the situation did not spiral out of control. The clashes, however, continued for about an hour during which some youth sustained injuries.