Ansari vs NC now on Ikhwani issue

SYED ALI SAFVI

SRINAGAR, Sep 1: A day after senior People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader, Moulvi Iftikhar Ansari, accused state government of pressing into service Ikhwanis (government-backed gunmen) to create fissures among the Muslim community, ruling National Conference (NC) today took a potshot at Ansari, describing him as “political chameleon”.

Ansari’s statement has sparked a political controversy with former renegade, Padma Shree Ghulam Mohammad Mir alias Momma Kana, refuting the allegation leveled against him and terming them as offshoot of the rivalry between NC and PDP.

“If I have committing wrongdoings in the past, I apologize to the entire community for that,” Momma Kana told media persons at his Magam residence today.

Moulvi Ansari had yesterday, in a statement, alleged that Momma Kana and another notorious and dreaded Ikhwani, Qasim Khaar, were, with the tacit support of NC, shaping a group in the name of Shia community to create Shia Sunni wedge.

“This group will certainly not succeed in sowing the seeds of discord between Shia and Sunni Muslims of the state,” he had said. “The government may try to do something more desperate to defame the people of Kashmir as they have been trying to do recently by raking up Sikh security issue or calling an entire community as stone pelters. The crimes of the present dispensation have now assumed very serious dimensions and the unholy effort to create fissures among the Muslim community are the most reprehensible.”

Addressing media persons, Momma Kana said that he was an ordinary person and not an Ikhwani.

“I used to be a Congress supporter, but now I vote for National Conference (NC),” he said.

He said he was a member of state Congress unit when PDP patron, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, was its president and Ansari was also its member.

“During PDP’s reign, after he failed to get a suitable candidate for local bodies’ elections, Mufti gave mandate to my daughter,” he said.

He said he was now living life of an ordinary citizen therefore labeling him as Ikhwani was unjustified.

“I don’t know whether Iftikhar sahib has given this statement of his own or on the advice of anyone else,” he said.

He said the need of the hour was to stop every kind of violence in the valley.

“Killings will not achieve anything,” he said.

“I request the Indian government to allow Kashmiris to visit Pakistan so that they can decide for themselves what will be better for them,” he said.

Meanwhile, taking a dig at Ansari, spokesman of NC today termed his statement as “his frustration and figment of imagination”.

Denying allegations about government’s hand in reviving the Ikhwani culture, the spokesman of NC alleged that Ansari had himself sought help of Ikhwanis in last assembly elections to ensure his victory.

He said that it was an open fact known to people of Sonawari assembly constituency that Ansari’s younger brother, Abid Ansari, had engaged Qasim Khaar, who played a “prominent role” during Abid’s electioneering campaign in the assembly segment.

“The people of the state are witness to the fact that National Conference has always promoted unity between Shias and Sunnis under the pioneering leadership of late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah,” he said, adding the party has been playing historic role in promoting harmony and co-existence among different religions, castes and sections.

Stating that PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti, had introduced daughter of Muma Kana as the party’s candidate for local bodies’ elections, the spokesman said that Ansari was actually trying to conceal his “record breaking irregularities of the past and ill-gotten massive wealth”.

“The leader has lost his credibility,” he said.

The spokesman added the government would shortly reveal the irregularities committed by Ansari.

“Ansari has broken all records of defection. His past statements are still reverberating in political circles. Ansari is on record having said during Parliament election of 2004 at Khurhima Batmaloo and other election rallies that a dozen of PDP candidates have won due to rigging in 2002 as well as with the help of four army commanders,” he said. “Ansari even accused Mufti Mohammad Sayeed of making a sell out of Kashmir.”

The spokesman also expressed surprise over the statement of Mehbooba, stating the onus of turning the state into a garrison and bringing the draconian AFSPA to the state was on former chief minister and PDP patron, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

“He (Mufti) was responsible for dislodging elected government in 1990 and bringing Jagmohan as governor of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. “The hardliner Jagmohan was responsible for bloodshed and creating mayhem in the state.”

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I will expose NC: Ansari

KT NEWS SERVICE

SRINAGAR, Sep 1: Senior PDP leader, Moulvi Iftikhar Ansari, today dared National Conference (NC) to reveal the financial irregularities allegedly committed by him.

“If they (NC) think I have committed irregularities let them come out with evidences,” he told Kashmir Times. “Even I am ready to make public all the financial wrong-doings of NC since 1947.”

He said that his revelation would leave the entire state stunned and would expose the real face of NC and its leaders.

Referring to the allegation of NC that Ansari’s younger brother, Abid Ansari, had engaged dreaded Ikhwani, Qasim Khar, during the former’s 2008 election campaign, Ansari said that he or his brother had nothing to do with Ikhwanis.

“Neither I nor my brother has any links with Ikhwanis,” he said.

He said that NC has been blaming PDP for its own failures.

“They hold PDP responsible for the present unrest and blame us for instigating youth,” he said. “I would suggest them to accept their failure. Hurling baseless accusation will not help restore peace in the valley.”

Reiterating that the government wanted to create dissention among Muslims to divert public attention away from the present unrest, Ansari asked the people of Kashmir to remain vigilant and not play into the hands of divisive forces.

Ansari had accused NC of reviving the Ikhwani culture by pressing into service Ikhwanis to create fissures among the Muslim community.

“Padma Shree Momma Kana and dreaded Ikhwani, Qasim Khaar, were, with the tacit support of NC, shaping a group in the name of Shia community to create Shia Sunni wedge,” he had said.