Omar Abdullah turns 50 in jail

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 11

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah turned 50 on Tuesday drawing a parallel with his grandfather who also reached this milestone age while in incarceration.

Omar’s well-wishers, including his sister Safia Abdullah Khan, took to social media sites to wish him birthday greetings. “Wishing my brother, Omar, a very happy 50th birthday,” Khan tweeted.

Omar, who is the vice-president of Kashmir’s oldest political party National Conference, remains under detention under the Public Safety Act and is lodged at a sub-jail in the city here.

During his detention, which began on August 5 when a major crackdown was launched to prevent protest against the abrogation of Article 370, Omar has grown a long beard that has dramatically changed his appearance.

Omar’s political career saw his becoming the Minister of State for External Affairs during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government in 2001-2002. He was elected as the Member of Parliament for the Lok Sabha from Srinagar constituency in 1998 and was also elected as a legislator from Ganderbal and Beerwah constituencies.

Omar’s golden jubilee in detention drew immediate parallel with his grandfather Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, a political giant of Jammu and Kashmir who founded the National Conference.

Sheikh Abdullah was also in detention when he had turned 50 after being sacked as the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and arrested on August 9, 1953. Sheikh turned 50 in 1955 while he was in detention that lasted more than a decade.

At 50, Sheikh Abdullah also founded Plebiscite Movement, the first major separatist group that demanded the holding of a referendum to decide the fate of Jammu and Kashmir. He gave up the demand when he agreed to an accord with the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975.

Meanwhile, Omar’s Twitter account, which has more than three million followers, was “temporarily” taken over by Sarah, who said she will “keep track of my brother’s mentions and DMs (direct messages). “Will restore the account to its original owner as soon as he’s out,” she said.

Grandfather’s golden jubilee was too in detention

• Omar’s golden jubilee in detention drew immediate parallel with his grandfather Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, a political giant of Jammu and Kashmir who founded the National Conference.
• Sheikh Abdullah was also in detention when he had turned 50 after being sacked as the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and arrested on August 9, 1953. Sheikh turned 50 in 1955 while he was in detention that lasted more than a decade.