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| Govt puts Farooq Abdullah, his ilk in catch-22 situation | | ‘In this meeting, we decided date of next meeting’ | |  EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Aug 20: The government has put the National Conference and its patriarch in a catch-22 situation as it allowed the meeting of its leaders at Dr Farooq Abdullah’s fortified bungalow in Srinagar on Thursday.
The party while calling for the meeting of its leaders had tried to play a great game as it was expecting that the government wouldn’t allow the meet to take place and the party would get a chance to mock at the authorities and play the victim card. However, such hopes got dashed soon after the government allowed the NC leaders to meet. “It was all shocking that the authorities allowed the leaders to meet. It was like Aage Kuwan Peechae Khayi for us. We didn’t know what to say and what to discuss. We had planned that the government wouldn’t allow us and then we would sell it in the press that see how the government is making the false claims about the release of the NC leaders. But, here we are. Something unthinkable happened,” says a national conference functionary.
The four-party leaders who met the NC patriarch were NC’s General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar, provincial president Kashmir Nasir Aslam Wani, former minister Abdul Rahim Rather and senior leader Muhammad Shafi Uri. They reached the residence of Dr. Farooq Abdullah at around 05:00 PM.
What plunged NC president and his ilk into chaos was when media persons arrived at his residence and began asking him the questions related to the outcome of the meeting. As questions were thrown at NC leadership, there was absolutely no reaction from them. It was moments later that Dr Farooq mustered some courage and told media men that in this meeting they have decided the date of the next meeting. “See Kashmiris have been waiting for the last 70 years. What will happen if they wait for seven more days,” Dr Farooq told scribes at his residence in Srinagar.
Meanwhile, when asked about what strategy NC has adopted vis-a-vis Article 370, Dr Farooq maintained a complete silence, stating only that they shall continue to hold such meetings and it was a welcome measure that such a process has started.
Earlier on Wednesday, National Conference had said that party has taken cognizance of the stand taken by Government of J&K in High Court for detention of its senior party leaders and added party has called a meeting with such leaders on August 20 in order to expose the assertions of Government regarding their “illegal” confinement.
In a statement, NC had stated it has taken cognizance of the stand taken by the Government in High Court in the Habeas Corpus matters filed by the President and Vice President of the party for securing the liberty of various leaders of the party that have been under an illegal house detention. “On a perusal of the reply the party has noticed that the Government has unequivocally submitted before the High Court that the no leader is under detention and that they are free to move subject to necessary security arrangements,” the party stated. |
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