Srinagar: National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah on Monday said holding elections in Jammu and Kashmir would be a test of Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi’s handling of Kashmir over the last five years.
Taking to Twitter, Omar said: “Will the Modi government bow before those forces of separatism & terror that have always sought to disrupt/delay polls in J&K or will polls take place on schedule? The moment of truth for PM Modi’s handling of Kashmir over the last 5 years.”
Will the Modi government bow before those forces of separatism & terror that have always sought to disrupt/delay polls in J&K or will polls take place on schedule? The moment of truth for PM Modi’s handling of Kashmir over the last 5 years. https://t.co/2fEDpjOoBp
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) February 25, 2019
His comments come after media reports stated that the Election Commission of India would take a call on holding Assembly polls together with the Lok Sabha election after a visit to the region this week.
Omar said except for an odd by-election, all elections in Jammu and Kashmir since 1995-96 have been held as per schedule.
“Will PM Modi be able to keep to this schedule or will he accept he’s totally mishandled J&K? The next few days will give us the answer,” he added.
Baring the odd by-election all elections after 1995-96 have taken place on schedule. Will PM Modi be able to keep to this schedule or will he accept he’s totally mishandled J&K? The next few days will give us the answer.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) February 25, 2019
On February 14, a CRPF convoy was attacked in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, leading to 49 personnel being killed. The attack was claimed by militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad.
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, on Sunday called the 49 CRPF armed personnel killed in an attack on their convoy in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on February 14 as ‘political victims’ and claimed that the “truth” will come out if National Security Advisor of India Ajit Doval was questioned, as per a report by PTI.
“If NSA Ajit Doval is investigated, then all the truth about the Pulwama terror attack will come out,” Thackeray said in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra, as per the report.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday told his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that he stood by his words of immediately acting if India provides Pakistan with “actionable intelligence” regarding the February 14 attack.
Fresh escalations of tensions occurred between India and Pakistan following the February 14 attack which was claimed by Jaish-e-Mohammad militant outfit.
Modi blamed Pakistan for the Pulwama attack and said that the country has become ‘‘synonym for terrorism’.
Following the attack, Pakistan called back their High Commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood for ‘consultations’. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said he had written a letter to the United Nations secretary general, asking him to play his role for the “de-escalation” of current tensions.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, in response to Modi’s comments, said that they would retaliate if India would start a war.
The attack led to Kashmiris being harassed and abused across the country, prompting Modi to say that ‘our fight is for Kashmir, not against Kashmiris’.
Omar Abdullah in a series of tweets, while thanking Modi, said that the forces who are harassing Kashmiris would stop now.
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