Apologise to people on autonomy issue, PDP to NC

Srinagar, Mar 24 (UNI) Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti today said the National Conference must apologise to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for having compromised their honor and dignity for self interest.

Addressing a public meeting at Takipora Lolab in the frontier district of Kupwara Ms Mufti said the revelations made by the former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani in his book, on how the NC leadership traded the autonomy resolution passed by the assembly in June 2000 for power were ''starting.'' She said it should prove an eye-opener not only for the people of the State, but the NC cadres as well.

''I am sure the innocent NC cadres must be more than shocked by these revelations,'' she said and added that according to Mr Advani, the NC leadership was firmly told by the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee that the autonomy resolution would not be accepted at any cost and if NC wanted, they were free to leave the NDA.

''However, according to Mr Advani, to safeguard his own chair and that of his son Omar Abdullah, who was the Minister of State for External Affairs in the NDA Government, Farooq Abdullah bowed before the Center and allowed the issue to lapse,'' she said.

She said the NC leadership are now being exposed by their own mentors in the BJP.

The PDP president alleged that in 1987 assembly elections, NC patron sensing an electoral debacle rigged the elections which brought dormant Kashmir issue into forefront and an era of violence commenced.

Ms Mufti said that consequently thousands of people died the number of orphans and widows increased and the property worth trillions was destroyed.

She said that PDP not only stopped the atrocities committed by the Special Task Force (STF) a brainchild of NC but initiated a truth and reconciliation programme within the state which laid the foundation of Peace Process between India and Pakistan.

She said despite having two-third majority in 1996, the NC failed to develop a sense of security among the strife torn masses but instead it introduced draconian laws and perpetrated atrocities through its armed agencies.

''We not only demanded troop reduction but advocated repealing of draconian laws enacted during NC regime,'' She added.

UNI BAS YSS VD VC1705