Chitambaram a liar, Omar inexperienced, Azad adding fuel to the fire: JKPCC

SYED ALI SAFVI

SRINAGAR, Aug 6: As the valley continues to seethe with anger and both New Delhi and state government adopting every tactic to douse the flames, Home Minister, P Chitambaram, today came under scathing attack from an unusual quarter: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC).

The state Congress unit has strongly condemned Home Minister's recent remarks in Lok Sabha over the recent unrest in Kashmir.

Lashing out at the home minister, senior Congress member and secretary JKPCC, Mohammad Sultan Mandu, said that he had cheated the Parliament, the highest organ of government.

''He (Chitambaram) is a liar, and is unnecessarily provoking people of Kashmir,'' he said.

Chitambaram had, in a statement in the Lok Sabha on August 4, said that security forces were fired upon by 'some militants' during the clashes.

''There have been instances where the security forces have been fired upon by some one in the protesting crowds,'' he said. ''There is reliable intelligence that some armed militants may have mingled with the crowd and fired at the security forces.''

Claiming that the Home Minister knew "nothing about Kashmir", Sultan said Chitambaram treated Kashmir as a colony.

"He said it because he wanted to justify innocent killings in Kashmir. He has failed to reach out to people here," he said. "People are asking us about his statement, what would we tell them? We want to live here, and live with peace."

Sultan, who is also a member of JKPCC executive committee, said, "If two students get killed elsewhere in India, the members of Parliament rock the House, but it is very unfortunate that even after killings of over 15 students in Kashmir, New Delhi has failed to take proactive measures to contain the unrest in the valley."

He also criticized New Delhi for adopting "double slandered" in Kashmir.

"On one hand Prime Minister says that gun is not the solution, talks are the only way we can reach to the amicable solution, and on the other hand civilians are being killed in cold blood," he said. "Can I ask them who is using the gun in Kashmir now?"

Sultan, who has himself served as a police officer, also condemned New Delhi's decision to send in more troops to Kashmir.

"Reinforcement will not work here," he said.

He also castigated Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, for having failed to deliver.

"Omar is a thorough gentleman, and a very honest person, but he has no experience," he said. "He has been unable to control the situation. He has not seen the sufferings of Kashmiri people."

Taking a dig at union minister, informer Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Sultan accused him of spilling the beans here.

It's very unfortunate while Kashmir was burning, his (Azad's) loyalists in state Congress unit went all the way to New Delhi to persuade Prime Minister to impose governor's rule in the state or bring Azad back as CM," he said.

Dissidence and infighting within the ranks of JKPCC has been going on for a long time now. Two factions of state Congress unit, one owing allegiance to JKPCC chief, Saif-ud-Din Soz, and the other to Azad, have been at loggerheads for long. Even the two – month long political crisis in the strife – torn valley has failed to end the internal bickerings in the JKPCC.

The months – long bitterness among the rival groups had got augmented after Soz decided to welcome elder son of former commander of government – backed gunman and one time legislator, Kuka Parray, in to the party fold. Significantly, Azad and Soz have also maintained distance with each other.

Senior Congress leader and member of state legislative council, Abdul Gani Vakil, who is considered very close to Azad, has been spewing venom against the JKPCC top brass, particularly against the state congress chief.