Under-fire Omar targets home secretary

Under fire from the opposition for “toeing the Centre’s line”, J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah trained his guns on Union home secretary GK Pillai on Wednesday for making an out-of-turn statement on the situation in the Valley.

“We are not puppets of the Centre, such statements only undermine our institutions,” Omar said in reference to Pillai’s unilateral announcement through the media that curfew would be relaxed in Kashmir to facilitate Shab-e-Barat (night-long prayers).

“It does not befit the Union home secretary to make such a statement. Even I do not talk about curfew, nor does my DGP [director general of police]. It is the people on the ground who take decisions after reviewing the situation. Such statements undermine our institutions and authority,” he told the legislative assembly.

Omar admitted he was not consulted by the Centre on reopening schools as part of an eight-point plan announced recently to defuse the crisis in the Valley. “The Centre consulted me on seven points, but not on the education clause. Everyone knows educational institutions are functioning in rural areas. Had they told me about including reopening of schools in the eight-point plan, I would have said no because it is a routine matter,” he said.

Trying to silence critics accusing him of not being in control, Omar said nobody was a puppet of the Centre. “We take decisions for our people,” he said.

Omar said he wanted phased withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFPSA) from areas where militants wield no influence. “I don’t know why people raise a hue and cry when I say AFSPA should be withdrawn from areas where there is no militancy. Some people raise an alarm as if I have hit out at the army, which is not the case,” he said.

The chief minister strongly favoured a political dialogue for resolution of the Kashmir issue, saying the accession of J&K in the country had taken place in unique circumstances.

“I endorse Union home minister P Chidambaram when he says Kashmir needs a unique solution because accession had taken place in unique circumstances. The situation in Kashmir is not due to bad governance. Had it been so, J&K would have been in flames,” he said.

Asking the Centre to speed up appointment of interlocutors to restart a peace process, he said, “We do not need retired people as interlocutors. We need three to four people who know the J&K problem and have no preconceived notions. They should start political dialogue with an open mind.”