On March 22, former Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir and Lok Sabha member from Srinagar Farooq Abdullah lost his cool when he was questioned over the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from the valley. He said, “I think they (BJP-led central government) should appoint a commission, and that will tell them who is responsible.”
#WATCH | Delhi: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah speaks on questions on Kashmiri Pandits. He says, “I think they (BJP-led Central Govt) should appoint a commission & that’ll tell them who is responsible…You want to know the truth, you should appoint a commission.” pic.twitter.com/kPFBbmWQKJ
— ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2022
When he was further questioned about the documents that allegedly put him in the position where he was responsible for the exodus to some extent, he got angry and said, “I have told you. If you want another truth, you should appoint the commission.”
A reporter asked about the allegations raised by BJP, he said, “Allegations are part of life.” On the question if a commission gets appointed, did he believe the truth would come out, he said, “Yes, the truth will come out,” and refused to say anything further.
‘Kashmiri Pandits should come back’
Earlier, Abdullah, while talking to Aaj Tak, said whatever happened to Kashmiri Pandits breaks his heart. He added Kashmir would be complete only if Pandits came back to the valley. During the interview, he had insisted on forming a commission to examine the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley.
Speaking about the film ‘The Kashmir Files’, Abdullah said the film is dividing people instead of bringing them together. He said, “It is burning the whole nation. If it is not stopped, the country will burn to ashes.” He added Jagmohan was Governor of the state when the exodus happened. “He was behind the migration of Kashmiri Pandits. He had sent vehicles to the houses of Pandits and asked police to take them out of the valley.”
Abdullah claimed there were 800 families of Kashmiri Pandits living peacefully in the valley, and nobody had touched them. He challenged to ask A S Dulat (then-RAW chief), Arif Mohammad Khan, Mohsar Raza (then-Chief Secretary), who was responsible for the exodus. He said, “If any of them say I am responsible, hang me anywhere.” Notably, Dulat has already deemed The Kashmir Files as propaganda film.
‘Give J&K status of a state’
Abdullah demanded the central government should give back the status of a state to Jammu and Kashmir. He further asked the government to hold elections. He said, “The government must work on removing obstacles in Hindu-Muslim relationships. Then it must hold peaceful elections. Also, it should stop messing with the EVM machines and should not indulge in activities like bogus voting.”
Abdullah said if a Hindu becomes Chief Minister of the state with honesty, he would be welcomed by the people of Jammu and Kashmir, but if he became CM by cheating, they would not accept him.
The Kashmir Files
Since the launch of the film, ‘The Kashmir Files‘, untold stories of atrocities faced by Kashmiri Pandits are coming to light. The Kashmiri Pandits who kept silent for 30+ years are talking about experiences. Those who died during the exodus and in the aftermath are being talked about in the mainstream for the first time. While people are demanding to reopen the cases and investigate the incidents that led to the exodus, the left-liberal and Islamist section of the society is irked by the chain of events. They are trying to discredit the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits and claiming the film, which is based on true incidents, is being deemed as fake propaganda.
