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Why Farooq Abdullah is Villain No. 1 in the eyes of Kashmiri Pandits?

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A majority of Kashmiri Pandits view Farooq Abdullah, the former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, as the main culprit behind the atrocities committed against them.

They believe that he was responsible for all the events that preceded the mass exodus of the minority community and the advent of terrorism in the Valley.

Farooq Abdullah was the Chief Minister from November 7, 1986 to January 18, 1990. It was this period which saw Kashmir gradually falling down the precipice, and despite warnings by intelligence agencies the indifference seemed insurmountable.

In February 1986, massive communal attacks occurred in South Kashmir. Muslim mobs looted and plundered or destroyed the properties and temples of Kashmiri Pandits.

Ghulam Mohammad Shah, the brother-in-law of Farooq Abdullah, was the Chief Minister then. He failed to curb the violence and called in the army to curb the mayhem.

His government was dismissed in March 1986 by the then Governor Jagmohan. It was reported that Mufti Sayeed, then a Congress leader, had instigated the violence as he was keen to be the Chief Minister and replace Shah.

Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister then who later gave Sayeed a seat in the Rajya Sabha and also made him a Union Minister. In November 1986, after months of hectic parleys, Rajiv Gandhi and Farooq Abdullah signed an accord and the latter was reinstated as the Chief Minister.

It was this period that saw the build up to the pogrom.

Ramesh Raina, President (All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS), said, “This 1986-1989 period is significant in the history of Kashmir, which is often ignored. The exodus did not happen overnight. There was full preparation for this. Abudllah fooled the nation with this accord. You can say he was incompetent and he didn’t have any control, or you can say he was totally involved, knew everything and let things build up.”

Panun Kashmir leader Ramesh Manvat said, “Muslim Conference, the original avatar of ‘National’ Conference started as a group to fight for the rights of Muslims in Kashmir in 1930s; turned their tide against then Maharaja Hari Singh; nourished the dream of an Independent Kashmir (following their call of ‘Quit Kashmir’ in 1940s) — leading to the dismissal of its founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1950s … The legacy of communal Muslim mindset and inconsistencies in National Conference’s approach towards minorities — Kashmiri Pandits and the ‘idea of India’ they represent have been carried forward by Farooq Abdullah, during his long reign as CM of J&K.

“Farooq Abdullah, as a tacit supporter of the happenings on the ground was busy playing golf and giving joy rides to Bollywood heroines, before finally choosing to run away to London when Kashmir was burning and a full-blown genocide of Pandits was taking place.”

Former Director General of Police of Jammu and Kashmir, Shesh Paul Vaid, tweeted on March 16: “Many people in the country do not know this #KashmirFiles fact: first batch of ISI trained were arrested by J&K Police but ill-thought political decisions had them released and the same terrorists later on led the many terrorist organisations in J&K.”

Vaid was the DGP of J&K from December 31, 2016 till September 6, 2018. He also added in his tweet: “Some of the notorious names: Mohammed Afzal Sheikh of Trehgam Rafiq Ahmed Ahangar Mohammad Ayub Najar Farooq Ahmed Ganai Ghulam Mohammed Gujri Farooq Ahmed Malik Nazir Ahmed Sheikh Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din Teli. Could this have been possible w/o the knowledge of the Union Govt of 1989?”

The fact that the intelligence agencies had repeatedly been alerting about the hordes of Kashmiris, especially youth, crossing over to PoK for arms training, went largely unheard of.

A lot of kidnappings were taking place, especially of the government employees, a maximum number of them were Kashmiri Pandits, but no action was taken.

Threats were openly given in local newspapers, posters were pasted and hit-lists made, but the administration seemed lifeless. The then Governor Jagmohan had mentioned the situation to then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi through letters dated April 20, 1990.

“Need I remind you that from the beginning of 1988, I had started sending ‘Warning Signals’ to you about the gathering storm in Kashmir? But you and the power wielders around you had neither the time, nor the inclination, nor the vision, to see these signals. They were so clear, so pointed, that to ignore them was to commit sins of true historical proportions,” Jagmohan wrote in the letter.

His fear came true and the minorities and moderates had to bear the brunt even as Farooq Abdullah left the Valley for London soon after.

“Fifty per cent Kashmiri Pandits fled on January 19. It did not happen suddenly. Farooq Abdullah knows all. He has to answer,” said Ramesh Raina.

“Farooq Abdullah ran away to London while the Valley was burning. He was the founder member of Alfata, JKLF. While he was in chair, youth were freely transported to Pakistan through the LoC. How was it possible without his knowing?

“Why were terrorists being released from jail then? Why did he resign overnight and the next day the exodus happened? It was all planned because then all would have come to his head. So he resigned. But could the exodus have happened without a plot behind it,” he asked.

While Farooq Abdullah was in J&K, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was the Home Minister at the Centre. His role as HM is also questioned by the community.

Surinder Kaul, the chief of Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora, said, “After we were forced to flee from Kashmir, we staged protests. I remember one meeting with then Home Minister Mufti Sayeed in 1990. All he had to say was ‘yes, this is not ok’.

“He had no answers to our questions. We told him, ‘why the local police and intelligence network had just vanished. Why was no one doing their work? Why was there no security’. But he just kept mum. That day I realised that the state and Central power system of our country had collapsed and no one was there to help us.”

“Farooq Abdullah has double standards. He always speaks one thing in Delhi and another in Kashmir. He never provided good governance. He protected the elite and never worked for the common people. To keep his fiefdom alive, he divided the communities. When Kashmiri Pandits were being killed, maimed, women were gang-raped, loot and arson had become the order of the day, where was he,” Kaul asked.

There have been times when Farooq Abdullah had borne the brunt of Kashmiri Pandits’ ire. In 2019, when he tried to meet a group of Kashmiri Pandits, who had come to Srinagar on a pilgrimage visit, he had to make a hastened retreat after slogans were raised against him.

Kashmiri Pandits feel that if Farooq Abdullah had taken strong steps, Kashmir would not have fallen to terrorism and the minorities would not have been tormented and forced out.

The community is seeking answers, and wants a judicial commission be instituted and Farooq Abdullah to be the first one to be investigated.

National News

Navi Mumbai: Kharghar Residents Halt PCMC Roadwork, Demand Permanent Fix To Pothole Woes

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Navi Mumbai: Residents of Kharghar, led by Kharghar Citizen Forum President Leena Garad, on Tuesday halted ongoing road resurfacing work near JJ Rasoi Hotel on the Utsav Chowk–Tata Hospital stretch, accusing the Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) of wasting public money on poor-quality, repetitive patchwork instead of providing lasting road solutions.

The protest came after newly resurfaced roads once again developed potholes within months of completion. “Every year, the same twenty to twenty-two spots in Kharghar develop potholes, and every year only patchwork is done. This cycle has continued for nearly eight years despite repeated complaints,” said Garad.

She added that in 2022–23, the forum had written to the civic body highlighting the recurring issue, and in 2024, they even conducted a micro-survey and submitted video proof demanding a permanent fix.

However, she alleged that instead of addressing the problem, the civic body launched roadwork projects worth Rs 200–300 crore after the Assembly elections, turning them into a “drama of pothole filling” meant for publicity rather than real improvement.

Garad further alleged that even well-constructed CIDCO roads, which earlier had no damage, were unnecessarily resurfaced through four contractors, resulting in fresh potholes.

“Roads that were smooth and strong under CIDCO have become pothole-ridden due to poor-quality, profit-driven work. Kharghar’s roads have turned into a gold mine for some contractors and officials,” she said.

After the citizens stopped the ongoing work, municipal officials arrived at the site and assured that no patchwork would be done and the entire road would be resurfaced properly. However, Garad questioned whether the civic body would act against companies allegedly linked to relatives of ruling party MLAs.

Calling it a case of “patchwork politics,” Garad demanded an independent expert audit of all Kharghar roads, legal action against responsible contractors and officials, and transparency in tender processes. She also urged the civic body to stop the annual farce of superficial patchwork and use modern, permanent repair technology.

“We are citizens, not subjects in a pothole empire. Our tax money should build durable roads, not fund corruption and repeated repairs,” Garad who was also a former corporator, asserted, warning that residents would continue to hold the administration accountable until lasting solutions are implemented.

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Punjab: Janata Party chief moves High Court for protection from arrest

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Chandigarh, Oct 15: A day after a confrontation between Chandigarh Police and Punjab Police over the custody, Janata Party president Navneet Chaturvedi, who allegedly forged the signature of legislators on nomination papers for the lone Rajya Sabha seat, on Wednesday moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking protection from arrest in the criminal case registered against him.

In the petition, Chaturvedi sought protection from arrest for 10 days and directions to the Punjab Police to produce the first information report (FIR) registered against him before the court. He also alleged attempts to abduct him by the Punjab Police on Tuesday.

Punjab Police have also moved a petition in the high court seeking his custody. After the FIR was registered in Ropar, a Punjab Police team went to Chandigarh to arrest him, but the Chandigarh Police took him into their custody.

Punjab Police on Monday reportedly registered multiple FIRs after several Aam Aadmi Party MLAs alleged that their signatures were forged on nomination papers submitted by Chaturvedi, who claims to be the national president of the Janata Party for the Rajya Sabha bypoll.

Advocate General Maninderjit Singh Bedi and Additional Advocate General Chanchal Singla sought transfer of custody of the accused to the Punjab Police, and initiation of contempt and departmental action against the officials responsible for defiance of court orders.

The Punjab Police have initiated legal action following receipt of complaints from sitting Members of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha (MLAs) regarding the alleged forgery of their signatures on nomination papers submitted by Chaturvedi.

A spokesperson for Punjab Police on Monday said the complainant MLAs have stated that they received messages and social media posts indicating that their names had been mentioned as proposers in the nomination papers filed by Chaturvedi before the Secretary of the Vidhan Sabha. Chaturvedi has filed two nominations, one on October 6 and another on October 13.

In their complaint, MLAs stated that it was found that a handwritten list of proposers, purportedly bearing the signatures of these MLAs, had been attached to the nomination papers, and the same was being circulated on digital platforms.

The MLAs have categorically denied having signed or supported the said nomination, and have alleged that their names and signatures were forged and fraudulently used without consent.

The forged documents, submitted before a constitutional authority, constitute a serious offence involving forgery, cheating, and criminal conspiracy. Based on these complaints, FIRs have been registered at different police stations in the constituencies of the complainant MLAs against said Chaturvedi.

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National News

MVA Leaders, Raj Thackeray Meet Maharashtra CEO Over Voter List Issues

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Mumbai: Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders, along with MNS chief Raj Thackeray, visited the Maharashtra Election Commission office in Mumbai on Wednesday for a meeting with the Chief Election Officer (CEO).

Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray, UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray and Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar were also present in the election meeting.

Speaking to reporters, Uddhav Thackeray stated that they have demanded that the poll panel rectify the voter list and conduct elections after rectification.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief said, “Before the assembly elections of 2024, MVA had written a letter to the EC that the BJP is adding people to the voter list because it wanted to bring to your notice. We had clearly stated that until these flaws are rectified, elections should not be conducted. Also, another important point raised is that those till 31st July who have turned 18 years will only be allowed to vote. The cutoff of July 31st is unacceptable.” “Our first focus is to rectify the voter list and then prevent vote theft… We have an objection to EVM. Now, they don’t want to use VVPAT. Is it because they want to destroy the proofs? It is against democracy. When all party delegations met the Election Commission, we also called the BJP leaders, but they did not attend the meeting…” he added.

Meanwhile, in a post on X, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said that they met the Election Commission officials to discuss the need to ensure that the upcoming local body elections in the state are completely transparent, fair and uphold democratic values.

The post reads, “A multi-party delegation met with the Chief Election Officer and the State Election Commissioner today to discuss ensuring that the upcoming local self-government institution elections in the state are conducted in a completely transparent, impartial manner, upholding democratic values. The foundation of democracy is trust and transparency; to sustain this trust, it is essential that every election process is flawless. This demand was made on this occasion.”

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