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| Finally, PDP-BJP draw red line on separatist sentiment | | No condolence messages for Cabinet colleague Sajad Lone | | Hyder Ali
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Apr 27: Finally, the coalition government has drawn a red line on the separatist sentiment, ending years of "hypocrisy", which was mostly fuelled by the Abdullah family. For the first time, nobody from the ruling coalition has issued any condolence for their Cabinet colleague Sajad Gani Lone, whose father-in-law and senior separatist leaders Amanullah Khan passed away in Pakistan on Tuesday.
Sources said the government ensured that nobody from PDP and BJP, no matter how close he or she personally was to Sajad, issues any formal condolence on demise of the co-founder of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front.
Insiders said given the tradition of issuing condolence messages over the demise of anyone in the family of cabinet ministers, Sajad, whose resignation is yet to be accepted, was expecting a formal word of consolation from some of his "friends in the cabinet." But while the cabinet remained tight-lipped, Sajad is understood to have taken a serious note of the issue.
If sources are to be believed this will only worsen his relationship with the ruling PDP, the party which allegedly denied this separatist-turned-mainstream leader, a "good ministry." Sajad is likely to uphold his decision on resignation.
On Tuesday when the news of Khan's demise spread, the opposition National Conference, was among the first to offer condolence and paid glowing tributes to the JKLF founder, who in the yesteryears had remained "friend" of Dr Farooq Abdullah.
Apart from two former Chief Ministers, Dr Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah, MLA Langate Engineer Rashid formally condoled the demise.
Over the years, the National Conference leadership is often accused of harboring separatist sentiment. Infact while the PDP leaders are not given visa by Pakistan, the Abdullahs have been visiting the neighboring country hassle-free.
There have been occasions when Omar Abdullah prayed for well-being of senior separatist leader, Syed Ali Geelani. Last year in his memoir, the former RAW Chief AS Dulat hinted at NC's inclination towards the separatist sentiment stating that New Delhi doubts Farooq Abdullah's conviction of being "true Indian".
Observers believe National Conference brought disrepute to the mainstream sentiment by keeping separatists and Pakistan in good humor from time to time.
It had been a tradition that separatist and mainstream leaders often rubbed shoulders together in joy and grief. Last year, when senior PDP leader and a then minister Syed Altaf Bukhari's mother-in-law passed away, a beeline of separatist leaders visited the bereaved. Hurriyat (M) press secretary Shahid Ul Islam had clarified before media that "Altaf Sahib is a good old friend."
During the previous Congress-PDP coalition when the then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's father-in-law Muhammad Abdullah Dev passed away, Geelani had personally visited their Hyderpora residence to extend condolences to the bereaved family.
Meanwhile Peoples Conference on Wednesday held funeral prayers in absentia for Amanullah Khan. The prayers were held at Allama Iqbal Convention Centre in Sanat Nagar near Sajad's residence. He too participated in the prayers.
In a condolence tweet, Sajad described Amanullah Khan as a "textbook Kashmiri nationalist". "Amanuallah khan sahib-end of an era. Text book Kashmiri nationalist. struggled for it all his life. Stands out as transparently honest leader," Sajad tweeted. |
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