Won’t support Operation All-out if voted to power, says Farooq

Suhail A Shah

Anantnag, January 12

National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said if voted to power, his party would not support the Army’s Operation All-out against the militants in Kashmir.

The NC patron said this on the sidelines of a workers’ meeting at Dak Bungalow in Anantnag town.

“How can we support something where there is suppression,” Farooq said when asked whether his party would support the Operation All-out.

The Operation All-out was conceived in June 2017 to flush out militants from the Valley. Security agencies had prepared a list of over 250 militants from various outfits who were to be eliminated.

Most of the militants on the list have been killed by security forces in the Kashmir valley.

Farooq said his party did not want the people to suffer.

“It’s not a question of the Operation All-out. We do not want our people to suffer. We don’t want our people to be beaten up in their homes. That has never been a part of the NC policy,” Farooq said.

He said his party was not going to support any violence or “violation of human rights”.

Earlier, Farooq asked mediapersons to leave the venue as he was there to speak to his party workers. Following his rebuke, local journalists held a sit-in outside the venue.

Later, Farooq invited the mediapersons for an interaction. On being asked whether his party would order a probe into the civilian killings of 2016 if voted to power, Farooq said: “Omar (Abdullah) has already stated that there should be a reconciliation commission.”

More than 100 civilians were killed and thousands were injured in violence following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in July 2016.

Farooq said his party would announce a “truth and reconciliation commission” the day it was sworn to power.

“God willing, if we are elected with a majority and we don’t need crutches to hold our government together, we will announce such a commission the day we take over,” he said.