Anantnag (J&K): Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said that the situation in Kashmir has worsened after the abrogation of Article 370. Omar was talking to the media on the sidelines of a condolence visit to a party worker in south Kashmir's Anantnag.
“The situation has become worse. The Bharatiya Janata Party claims that the situation in Kashmir is returning to normalcy and they will build a new Kashmir, but there has been no change on the ground level,” Omar said. He said that the additional deployment of forces in Rajouri after recent civilian killings and restoration of VDCs was now a “compulsion for the government”.
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Over a question on assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the NC vice-president said, “Although we would want elections in Jammu and Kashmir, we are not begging BJP for elections”. Omar said that the people of Kashmir are “sometimes harassed in the name of the land and sometimes employees and common people are being harassed on various pretexts”.
“In such a situation, BJP will never want elections to be held in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP is not in favor of the establishment of a democratic government in Jammu and Kashmir soon so that the people here get relief,” he added. Omar visited his party worker Muhammad Hussain in Anantnag to express condolences on the death of Hussain's sister. She was also the aunt of the late JKPC General Secretary Pir Mansoor Hussain. On the occasion, party leaders Syed Basharat Bukhari, Rafi Ahmed Mir, Member of Parliament Hasnain Masoodi and many other leaders also expressed their condolences.
