Houses adopt resolution on unity, say extremism has no place in Kashmir

Ehsan Fazili

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 9

The state legislative Assembly here today unanimously adopted a resolution, put forth by National Conference working president Omar Abdullah, for strengthening communal harmony in the state. 

The resolution was adopted a day after a group of BJP members attacked Independent MLA from Langate Engineer Rashid in the House for hosting a beef party on Wednesday. 

Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed welcomed the move taken by former Chief Minister Omar Abdulla. “The resolution must go from here that extremism has no place,” Mufti said, adding that Kashmir has to be a beacon of light for India. He said over 17 crore Muslims of the country believed in secular traditions and a “message of unity has to go from Kashmir”.

Earlier, lamenting over the assault on Rashid, Omar said that “this is not the real face of J&K”. Calling for a unanimous resolution for strengthening harmony and unity, 

he said extremism “should not have any place here…. Let us show a ray of hope from here so that we can undo what was done yesterday”.  

The Legislative Council also unanimously adopted a resolution reiterating the firm and unshakable faith in the tradition of secularism, pluralism and tolerance. Congress legislator GN Monga supported the resolution, saying that the PDP-BJP coalition should look within to see why communal harmony was not being maintained. 

Earlier, Independent MLA Rashid was detained by the police after he held a sit-in outside the civil secretariat this morning. He along with his party supporters staged a protest demonstration against the “sabotage of the anti-beef ban Bill” that was not taken up in the Assembly yesterday.

What the resolution said

“This House unanimously resolves to reiterate the firm and unshakable faith of the people of J&K in its age-old tradition of secularism, pluralism and tolerance. This House as the representative body of the will of the people of J&K reasserts the need for strengthening further the bonds of brotherhood and fortifying the values that have distinguished J&K in the entire subcontinent in the most trying circumstances that led the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, to see a ray of light from here. This House further urges leadership at the national level across the party lines and seeks the support of the people throughout the country in creating an environment of peace and harmony….”