On 12th December, National Conference Chief Farooq Abdullah lashed out at the central government following the passage of the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Bill and Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill. He was seemingly irked following the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the abrogation of Article 370. Speaking to ANI, he asserted that tourism in the valley is possible because terrorists do not attack them. He said, “You should be thankful that they are not doing it”, asserting if terrorists start attacking tourists, the tourism in the valley will be finished.
Earlier, Abdullah had said in a furious tone that Jammu Kashmir could “go to hell”. When an ANI reporter questioned why he said so, Abdullah said, “You people are irritating me. No one is doing anything for the ‘heaven’ and taking it to ‘hell’.” He cited the famous quote about Kashmir, “If there is heaven on Earth, it is here, it is here, it is this.” and questioned what the government has done for the valley. “You are not conducting any elections happening in all other states. What crime have we committed? Now come to statehood. Tell me one state since independence that was converted to UT from a state. UTs become a state, not the other way around. You have made the state hell.”
#WATCH | Delhi | National Conference Chief Farooq Abdullah says, "…You indeed are taking it to hell. Nothing is being done for 'heaven'…Tell me what is being done for heaven? Elections are taking place everywhere. What is our fault that it is not being held here? Which other… pic.twitter.com/AnTKcmLbNE
— ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2023
He added, “You say that terrorism has ended. Has it ended? Are our soldiers and officers not dying? Are people not dying? You talk about tourism. They [terrorists] have not attacked tourists yet. If they attack only one tourist, tourism will come down to zero. You should be thankful that they are not doing it [attacking tourists]. Our everything depends on it. We do not have any factory. They said they would bring factories. Which factories have been established? Someone from UAE is building a mall here. A mall. We already have a mall. We are citizens of this country. This is our country. But there is no justice for us. What should I do?”
Borderline dog whistling
Abdullah’s remarks about terrorists not attacking tourists, leading to the possibility of having a tourism industry in the valley, are dangerously bordering on dog whistling. In a way, he hinted at a potential strategy for terrorists to target the flourishing tourism industry in Jammu and Kasmir.
Abdullah, who was irked by the Supreme Court’s decision on Article 370 and passage of bills in both houses, tried to oversimplify the complex situation in Kashmir. His statement should be condemned as it can potentially send a wrong message. By insinuating that the absence of terrorist attacks is the reason for flourishing tourism, he failed to acknowledge the collective efforts that the government of India and the UT government made to foster a peaceful environment in the valley.
It has to be noted that such statements by prominent leaders like Farooq Abdullah can be interpreted as an inadvertent signal to those who have vested interests in promoting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Terrorist groups have a habit of exploiting any perceived weakness or opportunity, which the comments passed by Abdullah provided.
Leaders in the valley and the rest of the country need to promote a narrative highlighting Kashmir’s resilience. The people of Kashmir are working towards sustained peace, and statements like those Abdullah made have the potential to nullify such efforts. It is essential to focus on the positive aspects of the region, including rich culture, warm hospitality, and breathtaking landscapes, so that, for the time being, tourism can keep supporting the state’s economy. At the same time, other projects were established in Jammu and Kashmir.
What changed in the past ten years? They asked, and HM Shah replied
In both houses, the opposition asked Home Minister Amit Shah what changed in the valley. In his reply, HM Shah pointed out the number of tourists touched the 2 crore mark in 2023. Furthermore, over 100 films were shot in the valley. There has been no theatre operating in Jammu and Kashmir since 1991. The first theatre opened after a gap of three decades in 2021. Since then, more theatres have opened and over 100 applications are under review from banks to open and operate theatres in the valley.
The number of devotees visiting Mata Vaishno Devi Temple and devotees participating in Shri Amarnath Yatra has increased exponentially over the years. HM Shah added that nursing colleges, medical colleges, and other educational institutes have opened in the state after the abrogation of Article 370. Furthermore, the number of medical seats has increased, and a record number of athletes have registered in the state.
Speaking about terrorist activities, HM Shah said the total incidents of terrorist activities during UPA time were 7,217. However, since the BJP came to power, the number of such incidents reduced to 2,197. During UPA time, 2,829 security personnel and civilians lost their lives. Compared to that, such deaths were reduced to 891 civilians and security personnel. 2,654 incidents of organised stone pelting happened during UPA.
जम्मू-कश्मीर से धारा 370 के हटने के बाद अलगाववाद समाप्त हुआ है और आतंकवाद में बहुत कमी आई है। pic.twitter.com/geK0js2vDl
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 6, 2023
Furthermore, since the Abrogation of Article 370, zero stone-pelting incidents have been reported in the region. 112 civilians died during stone pelting during UPA, but zero such deaths have been reported since the abrogation of Article 370, as no incidents of stone pelting took place. 6,235 civilians were injured in such incidents during UPA, but zero such injuries have been reported since the abrogation of Article 370. In 2010, 70 ceasefire violations were reported, but in 2023, only six such incidents were reported. Similarly, incidents of infiltration attempts clocked to 479 compared to recent reports of 48. In 2010, 18 terrorists reportedly left Kashmir. However, in 2023, 281 terrorists reportedly left Kashmir.
HM Shah noted that the central government adopted a Zero Terrorism Plan in Jammu and Kashmir, which has been in action for the last three years. Furthermore, he said that by 2026, he hopes that the plan will achieve its aim to finish terrorism in the valley.
अब जम्मू-कश्मीर में आतंकवाद के पूरे इकोसिस्टम को खत्म करने का काम किया जा रहा है। pic.twitter.com/bNgmynNUR6
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 6, 2023
The Gupkar Gang
Not to forget, Abdullah is the chairperson of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), also known as the Gupkar Gang. It was formed to restore the erstwhile state’s special status or Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Gupkar Gang was formed in October 2020 when six parties joined to restore Articles 370 and 35A and the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir. The National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Conference (PC), Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M), Peoples Movement (PM) and Awami National Conference (ANC) were the first to ally. In November, Congress also joined the gang.
Gupkar Gang’s three leaders joined in January 2023 in a nationwide political rally. Farooq’s son and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, and PDP chief and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti joined Congress leader Rahul Gandhi‘s Bharat Jodo Yatra in January last week when the Yatra reached its destination in Kashmir.
Abdullah once batted for Chinese rule
One year after the abrogation of Article 370, Abdullah claimed that the people of Kashmir “do not feel or want to be Indian”. He added that they would prefer to be ruled by China instead of India. Interestingly, the same Abdullah is now crying that he is an Indian and India is his country. Abdullah stated during a talk show on The Wire’s YouTube channel. He called the abrogation of Article 370 the “last nail in the coffin of India”. The same Abdullah is now claiming tourism is possible in Kashmir because terrorists do not attack tourists. It is interesting to see how the language of these leaders changes with time and how they insert dog whistling while projecting themselves as Kashmir’s messiah.
