Enforcement Directorate summons vindictive, Centre must stop witch-hunt: Alliance

Aditi Tandon

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 19

The newly formed People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration today slammed Enforcement Directorate summons to National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah by terming it as “vindictive” and saying the Centre must stop “witch-hunting” and speak to stakeholders about “restoring J&K’s special status”.

Linking ED’s questioning of Farooq Abdullah to the recent display of unity among mainstream regional parties, which pledged to demand J&K’s pre-August 5, 2019, status, the alliance today said the Centre was unnerved by the collaboration of people against the August 5, 2019, moves to abrogate Article 370 and divide J&K state into two UTs.

“The summons are part of vindictive politics practiced by the Central government to kill dissent and disagreement across the country and in the present case to silence the genuine demand for the reversal of unilateral and unconstitutional decisions of August 5, 2019, and restoration of August 4, 2019, status of J&K,” said the alliance.

Alliance members include PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, NC vice-president Omar Abdullah, People’s Conference president Sajjad Lone, CPM’s MY Tarigami and Awami National Conference’s Muzaffar Shah and JK People’s Movement’s Feroze Peerzada. The alliance, formed on October 15, said the Centre “unnerved by the unity amongst people across regions and communities to pursue the goals of Gupkar declaration and the support extended to it by political parties and civil society groups is resorting to a game of witch-hunt and suppression at the national level”.

It said the Union government must realise the “dangers of witch-hunting and intimidation and desist from vindictive designs”.

Dialogue with stakeholders and restoration of special status remained the only option to address the deepening uncertainty in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, the alliance said.

Sajjad Lone backed the NC chief saying, “What a sorry state of affairs, reeks of vendetta. Contrary to what they want to achieve through coercive acts, this will certainly have the opposite impact.”

Omar Abdullah, meanwhile, clarified that there were no raids on his father’s house.

The NC attacked the BJP questioning the timing of ED summons and said, “After failing to politically fight party president Farooq Abdullah, the BJP has resorted to employing its agencies for the task.”

The NC questioned the timing of ED summons and said, “The previous summons were issued just before August 5 last year and today’s summon comes within days of forming the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration of which Dr Farooq Abdullah has taken a lead.”

TheNC said Abdullah continued to maintain his innocence and would cooperate with the authorities “in what is nothing but a witch-hunt”.

Principal allegation against Abdullah is that he siphoned Rs 43.69 crore, the amount BCCI gave for cricket promotion when he was president of the JKCA.