Omar's 'Kashmir PM' remarks sparks row

<p>It's an attire that's unique to Jammu and Kashmir. Come winters and the Pheran can be seen everywhere on the streets but now, an order by the state's education department, banning officials from wearing it to work has sparked a controversy.</p>

<p>The order has evoked strong reactions and condemnation from all sections of the society in the valley. The former chief minister of the state Omar Abdullah termed the order regressive. He challenged the move with pictures of his father, Farooq Abdullah, wearing the dress.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">My father &amp; I have worn pherans to official functions many times over the years &amp; will continue to do so, silly government orders not withstanding. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dontbanourpheran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dontbanourpheran</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/revokepheranban?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#revokepheranban</a>. <a href="https://t.co/nEsjpMd4XB">pic.twitter.com/nEsjpMd4XB</a></p>
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) <a href="https://twitter.com/OmarAbdullah/status/1074924920323350528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>"The fact is that for no item we have a dress code, why for this? If there is a threat by Pheran, then every Kashmiri is a suspect," Omar said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The move has sparked a social media campaign with people posting their pictures in Pheran, with hashtags like #PheranBan and #SayNoToPharanBan. Some even called the move an onslaught on Kashmiri culture.</p>

<p>"This is a very regressive step. In Kashmir everyone wears Pheran, it is part of our culture. Ladakhi people wear their attire and in south India, people wear Lungi, then why just Pheran?" National Conference Spokesperson, Tanvir Sadiq told media.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/saynotopharanban?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#saynotopharanban</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/proudtobeakashmiri?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#proudtobeakashmiri</a><br />
Start this hashtag and tag your friends and post pictures <a href="https://twitter.com/Raheelk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Raheelk</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RJNASIROFFICIAL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RJNASIROFFICIAL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/shahfaesal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@shahfaesal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SalmanNizami_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SalmanNizami_</a> <a href="https://t.co/uEuibwRUak">pic.twitter.com/uEuibwRUak</a></p>
— Shazia Bakshi (@Shazia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Shazia/status/1074944335580422144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Pheran is a traditional outfit worn by both men and women in Kashmir during winters. It helps protect people from the bone-chilling cold. Over the years, Pheran -- which has its roots in West Asia and Afghanistan -- has been customised and redesigned to make it contemporary and fashionable. &nbsp;</p>

<p>People in the valley take pride in wearing this traditional dress. Kashmiri brides, regardless of religion, dress in designer Pheran.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We have grown in Pheran, we have seen our parents and grandparents wearing it. Now, if someone dictates us that we shouldn't wear Pheran, it will be treated as part of aggression," said Social activist Babar Qadri.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the city of Srinagar, there are many shops dedicated only to making Pherans which customise them according to the need and demand of customers. According to the shopkeepers, the demand for Pheran&nbsp;has only gone up over the years.&nbsp;</p>


It's an attire that's unique to Jammu and Kashmir. Come winters and the Pheran can be seen everywhere on the streets but now, an order by the state's education department, banning officials from wearing it to work has sparked a controversy.

It's an attire that's unique to Jammu and Kashmir. Come winters and the Pheran can be seen everywhere on the streets but now, an order by the state's education department, banning officials from wearing it to work has sparked a controversy. The order has evoked strong reactions and condemnation from all sections of the society in the valley. The former chief minister of the state Omar Abdullah termed the order regressive. He challenged the move with pictures of his father, Farooq Abdullah, wearing the dress. My father & I have worn pherans to official functions many times over the years & will continue to do so, silly government orders not withstanding. #dontbanourpheran #revokepheranban. pic.twitter.com/nEsjpMd4XB — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 18, 2018 × "The fact is that for no item we have a dress code, why for this? If there is a threat by Pheran, then every Kashmiri is a suspect," Omar said. The move has sparked a social media campaign with people posting their pictures in Pheran, with hashtags like #PheranBan and #SayNoToPharanBan. Some even called the move an onslaught on Kashmiri culture. "This is a very regressive step. In Kashmir everyone wears Pheran, it is part of our culture. Ladakhi people wear their attire and in south India, people wear Lungi, then why just Pheran?" National Conference Spokesperson, Tanvir Sadiq told media. #saynotopharanban #proudtobeakashmiri Start this hashtag and tag your friends and post pictures @Raheelk @RJNASIROFFICIAL @shahfaesal @SalmanNizami_ pic.twitter.com/uEuibwRUak — Shazia Bakshi (@Shazia) December 18, 2018 × Pheran is a traditional outfit worn by both men and women in Kashmir during winters. It helps protect people from the bone-chilling cold. Over the years, Pheran -- which has its roots in West Asia and Afghanistan -- has been customised and redesigned to make it contemporary and fashionable. People in the valley take pride in wearing this traditional dress. Kashmiri brides, regardless of religion, dress in designer Pheran. "We have grown in Pheran, we have seen our parents and grandparents wearing it. Now, if someone dictates us that we shouldn't wear Pheran, it will be treated as part of aggression," said Social activist Babar Qadri. In the city of Srinagar, there are many shops dedicated only to making Pherans which customise them according to the need and demand of customers. According to the shopkeepers, the demand for Pheran has only gone up over the years.

'Pheran ban' in Kashmir rakes controversy, Omar Abdullah reacts

<p>National Conference leader Omar Abdullah Monday ruled out a pre-poll alliance with any party for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, saying his party had joined hands with the PDP and Congress to "save the state".</p>

<p>The PDP had on November 21 staked claim to form a government with the backing of rival National Conference (NC) and the Congress. This was followed by another bid from the two-member People's Conference which claimed the support of the BJP and 18 MLAs from other parties.</p>

<p>After these developments, Governor Satyapal Malik abruptly dissolved the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on the night of November 21.</p>

<p>"We will fight the (assembly) election on our own. When we talk about forming the next government on our own, then there is no scope of leaving any seat for anyone, even as I know they are eyeing some seats," Abdullah said Monday while addressing a function at party headquarters here.</p>

<p>Defending his party's decision to join hands with the PDP and Congress to stake a claim for the formation government, the NC vice president said it was a difficult decision, taken to save the state after fighting as bitter rivals in the 2014 elections.</p>

<p>"We decided to do something to save the state, to strengthen the communal harmony and brotherhood, to restore peace - it was not an easy decision. I was aware that my party will suffer politically due to this decision," he said.</p>

<p>Asserting that he choose the state over his party, as it was for the betterment of Jammu and Kashmir and its people, Abdullah said the NC was to extend support to the PDP and Congress from outside and the government was to run for the time being till the situation gets back to normal for holding of fresh elections.</p>

<p>He called for holding of assembly polls in the state along with the general elections next year, and also challenged the BJP to announce its chief ministerial candidate while accusing the saffron party of betraying the people of Jammu region who had given it 26 seats in the last state elections.</p>

<p>The NC vice president said his party is prepared to face the people, unlike the BJP which is "trying to delay the elections on one pretext or the other knowing fully that it will face a drubbing in polls".</p>

<p>"We have started the selection of candidates for the state polls. The only condition is, give me a candidate who can win. There may be some seats where we have no chance, but there are seats which we have been winning and the time has come to take these seats back," the former chief minister said.</p>

<p>He said the BJP claimed that the plan to form the government was orchestrated in Dubai and London at the behest of Pakistan.</p>

<p>"We were not the one. But the second letter (from Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Lone) came from London," Abdullah said.</p>

<p>"When I asked him (Ram Madhav) to prove (the allegation), he took his words back, because he was caught in his own lies," he said.</p>

<p>BJP general secretary Ram Madhav on November 22 withdrew his words after a furious Omar Abdullah dared him to prove his allegation that his party had tied up with the PDP to form a government in Jammu and Kashmir at Pakistan's behest.</p>

<p>Abdullah said the PDP-Congress-NC combine had the numbers and there was no scope for horse-trading or any other malpractice here, unlike the BJP-supported group which had only 28 MLAs together.</p>

<p>The governor claimed that there were horse-trading attempts, he said and asked the BJP where did the other MLAs require to form the government came from.</p>

<p>"I can say with authority that the MLAs got threats from agencies. One MLA was told that either be part of the government for two years or prepare for arrest by NIA.</p>

<p>"Another senior MLA was threatened that a CBI case against him will be opened. This is the problem, those who are not able to come from the front door, are trying to grab the power by breaking the back door like a thief," Abdullah said."</p>

<p>"The compulsion when they (BJP) handed over the chief minister post to Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is understood as they had 26 MLAs while the PDP had 28. But how they can justify bringing a chief minister from a two-member party," he said.</p>

<p>The NC vice president claimed that the BJP will face a drubbing in the next assembly elections given the mood of the people.</p>

<p>"When the bugle for assembly elections is sounded, we will emerge as winners," he said.</p>

<p>"Our strategy will be -- to highlight the failures of the previous government and to reach out to the people and make them aware about the programmes and planning of the party for different sections of the society, besides focusing on basic amenities like water, power and roads," Abdullah said.</p>


National Conference leader Omar Abdullah Monday ruled out a pre-poll alliance with any party for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, saying his party had joined hands with the PDP and Congress to "save the state".

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah Monday ruled out a pre-poll alliance with any party for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, saying his party had joined hands with the PDP and Congress to "save the state". The PDP had on November 21 staked claim to form a government with the backing of rival National Conference (NC) and the Congress. This was followed by another bid from the two-member People's Conference which claimed the support of the BJP and 18 MLAs from other parties. After these developments, Governor Satyapal Malik abruptly dissolved the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on the night of November 21. "We will fight the (assembly) election on our own. When we talk about forming the next government on our own, then there is no scope of leaving any seat for anyone, even as I know they are eyeing some seats," Abdullah said Monday while addressing a function at party headquarters here. Defending his party's decision to join hands with the PDP and Congress to stake a claim for the formation government, the NC vice president said it was a difficult decision, taken to save the state after fighting as bitter rivals in the 2014 elections. "We decided to do something to save the state, to strengthen the communal harmony and brotherhood, to restore peace - it was not an easy decision. I was aware that my party will suffer politically due to this decision," he said. Asserting that he choose the state over his party, as it was for the betterment of Jammu and Kashmir and its people, Abdullah said the NC was to extend support to the PDP and Congress from outside and the government was to run for the time being till the situation gets back to normal for holding of fresh elections. He called for holding of assembly polls in the state along with the general elections next year, and also challenged the BJP to announce its chief ministerial candidate while accusing the saffron party of betraying the people of Jammu region who had given it 26 seats in the last state elections. The NC vice president said his party is prepared to face the people, unlike the BJP which is "trying to delay the elections on one pretext or the other knowing fully that it will face a drubbing in polls". "We have started the selection of candidates for the state polls. The only condition is, give me a candidate who can win. There may be some seats where we have no chance, but there are seats which we have been winning and the time has come to take these seats back," the former chief minister said. He said the BJP claimed that the plan to form the government was orchestrated in Dubai and London at the behest of Pakistan. "We were not the one. But the second letter (from Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Lone) came from London," Abdullah said. "When I asked him (Ram Madhav) to prove (the allegation), he took his words back, because he was caught in his own lies," he said. BJP general secretary Ram Madhav on November 22 withdrew his words after a furious Omar Abdullah dared him to prove his allegation that his party had tied up with the PDP to form a government in Jammu and Kashmir at Pakistan's behest. Abdullah said the PDP-Congress-NC combine had the numbers and there was no scope for horse-trading or any other malpractice here, unlike the BJP-supported group which had only 28 MLAs together. The governor claimed that there were horse-trading attempts, he said and asked the BJP where did the other MLAs require to form the government came from. "I can say with authority that the MLAs got threats from agencies. One MLA was told that either be part of the government for two years or prepare for arrest by NIA. "Another senior MLA was threatened that a CBI case against him will be opened. This is the problem, those who are not able to come from the front door, are trying to grab the power by breaking the back door like a thief," Abdullah said." "The compulsion when they (BJP) handed over the chief minister post to Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is understood as they had 26 MLAs while the PDP had 28. But how they can justify bringing a chief minister from a two-member party," he said. The NC vice president claimed that the BJP will face a drubbing in the next assembly elections given the mood of the people. "When the bugle for assembly elections is sounded, we will emerge as winners," he said. "Our strategy will be -- to highlight the failures of the previous government and to reach out to the people and make them aware about the programmes and planning of the party for different sections of the society, besides focusing on basic amenities like water, power and roads," Abdullah said.

Omar Abdullah rules out pre-poll alliance for Assembly elections in J&K

<p>Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference chairman Sajjad Gani Lone on Friday said that PDP-Congress-NC formed 'opportunistic alliance' to stall government of third-front led by People's Conference.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"This alliance was an opportunistic alliance to ensure and stall the entry of third regional party. But now they have failed and we have emerged and we shall go to the people and then let the people decide what to do," he told a press conference.</p>

<p>Hitting out at National Conference chief Omar Abdullah, who criticised Lone for aligning with BJP, he said if aligning with BJP is a crime, then it was he who first committed that crime, he said.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">If aligning with BJP is a crime, then it is Omar Abdullah who first committed this crime. He was once the poster boy of NDA. Madam Sahiba (Mehbooba Mufti) was also in power with them for 3 years. But when we do it, it's wrong: Sajjad Gani Lone,People's Conference.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JammuAndKashmir?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JammuAndKashmir</a> <a href="https://t.co/Hx3C72Z1bo">pic.twitter.com/Hx3C72Z1bo</a></p>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1065917408936890368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Omar Abdullah was once the poster boy of National Democratic Alliance (NDA), he said.</p>

<p>''Mehbooba Mufti was also in power with them for three years. But when we do it, it's wrong,'' Lone said.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>People's Conference leader also contested Mehbooba Mufti's claim to form the government in the state.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Lone asserted that he staked claim to form the government in the state as he possessed the required number of legislators in the Assembly.</p>

<p>"We staked the claim as we had the numbers. Had there been a floor test or had we been told to bring in the numbers, then what is within the purview of the constitution would have happened," Lone told.</p>


Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference chairman Sajjad Gani Lone on Friday said that PDP-Congress-NC formed 'opportunistic alliance' to stall government of third-front led by People's Conference.

Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference chairman Sajjad Gani Lone on Friday said that PDP-Congress-NC formed 'opportunistic alliance' to stall government of third-front led by People's Conference. "This alliance was an opportunistic alliance to ensure and stall the entry of third regional party. But now they have failed and we have emerged and we shall go to the people and then let the people decide what to do," he told a press conference. Hitting out at National Conference chief Omar Abdullah, who criticised Lone for aligning with BJP, he said if aligning with BJP is a crime, then it was he who first committed that crime, he said. If aligning with BJP is a crime, then it is Omar Abdullah who first committed this crime. He was once the poster boy of NDA. Madam Sahiba (Mehbooba Mufti) was also in power with them for 3 years. But when we do it, it's wrong: Sajjad Gani Lone,People's Conference.#JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/Hx3C72Z1bo — ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2018 × Omar Abdullah was once the poster boy of National Democratic Alliance (NDA), he said. ''Mehbooba Mufti was also in power with them for three years. But when we do it, it's wrong,'' Lone said. People's Conference leader also contested Mehbooba Mufti's claim to form the government in the state. Lone asserted that he staked claim to form the government in the state as he possessed the required number of legislators in the Assembly. "We staked the claim as we had the numbers. Had there been a floor test or had we been told to bring in the numbers, then what is within the purview of the constitution would have happened," Lone told.

If aligning with BJP is crime, Omar Abdullah committed that crime first: Sajjad Gani Lone

<p>A day after the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/best-option-in-jk-is-fresh-polls-at-earliest-says-bjp-178700">Jammu and Kashmir(J&amp;K) assembly</a> was dissolved, governor Satya Pal Malik said his decision was made in favour of the state and he was not acting on BJP's behest.</p>

<p>"Nobody&nbsp;gave me a&nbsp;list of MLAs,"&nbsp;the governor said while declaring that he could not allow horse-trading in the assembly.</p>

<p>"Are government's formed through social media? I neither tweet nor see the tweets. I selected yesterday for the decision to dissolve the assembly as it was a holy day, it was Eid," he said&nbsp;on Mehbooba Mufti's letter sent to him in the form of a tweet</p>

<p>"It is the Election Commission's job to decide on the date of the elections,"&nbsp;he said. "I did not act on BJP's behest," he added.</p>

<p>The J&amp;K assembly was abruptly dissolved by the governor after the PDP staked claim to form a government with the backing of rival National Conference(NC) and the Congress. Another bid to form the government was made by two-member People's Conference.</p>

<p>The dissolution was announced by governor Satyapal Malik in a communique released by Raj Bhavan.</p>

<p>"Why will they go to court? They were demanding this for five months. I want that they go to court, it's their right, they should go," he said after some leaders expressed their willingness to challenge the governor's decision in court.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Meanwhile, National Conference(NC) leader today accused the BJP of being behind the dissolution of J&amp;K assembly which was announced by governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday&nbsp;night.</p>

<p>"J&amp;K has been subjected to a lot of suffering," the former chief minister said, adding that talks were going on for an alliance. "We have interests of the people in mind," he asserted.</p>

<p>Omar said NC and PDP were in talks to form the next government in the state.</p>

<p>"I do not want to be chief minister," Omar told reporters at a press conference in Srinagar. He informed that the NC core group had held a meeting today to take stock of the situation.</p>

<p>Taking a jibe at the governor, Omar said fax machine had become the new political player in J&amp;K. He said the BJP wanted elections in the state.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The BJP said: "The proposed alliance between the Congress and the PDP broke up even before it was formed. They have taken contradictory positions on dissolution. One supports it and the other opposes it."</p>

<p>"The best option in such a scenario is to go in for a fresh election at the earliest. This assembly cannot produce a stable government," it added.</p>


A day after the Jammu and Kashmir(J&K) assembly was dissolved, governor Satya Pal Malik said his decision was made in favour of the state and he was not acting on BJP's behest.

A day after the Jammu and Kashmir(J&K) assembly was dissolved, governor Satya Pal Malik said his decision was made in favour of the state and he was not acting on BJP's behest. "Nobody gave me a list of MLAs," the governor said while declaring that he could not allow horse-trading in the assembly. "Are government's formed through social media? I neither tweet nor see the tweets. I selected yesterday for the decision to dissolve the assembly as it was a holy day, it was Eid," he said on Mehbooba Mufti's letter sent to him in the form of a tweet "It is the Election Commission's job to decide on the date of the elections," he said. "I did not act on BJP's behest," he added. The J&K assembly was abruptly dissolved by the governor after the PDP staked claim to form a government with the backing of rival National Conference(NC) and the Congress. Another bid to form the government was made by two-member People's Conference. The dissolution was announced by governor Satyapal Malik in a communique released by Raj Bhavan. "Why will they go to court? They were demanding this for five months. I want that they go to court, it's their right, they should go," he said after some leaders expressed their willingness to challenge the governor's decision in court. Meanwhile, National Conference(NC) leader today accused the BJP of being behind the dissolution of J&K assembly which was announced by governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday night. "J&K has been subjected to a lot of suffering," the former chief minister said, adding that talks were going on for an alliance. "We have interests of the people in mind," he asserted. Omar said NC and PDP were in talks to form the next government in the state. "I do not want to be chief minister," Omar told reporters at a press conference in Srinagar. He informed that the NC core group had held a meeting today to take stock of the situation. Taking a jibe at the governor, Omar said fax machine had become the new political player in J&K. He said the BJP wanted elections in the state. The BJP said: "The proposed alliance between the Congress and the PDP broke up even before it was formed. They have taken contradictory positions on dissolution. One supports it and the other opposes it." "The best option in such a scenario is to go in for a fresh election at the earliest. This assembly cannot produce a stable government," it added.

I did not act on BJP's behest, says J&K governor Satya Pal Malik after dissolving assembly

<p>Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said Thursday that he does not belive the NC, PDP and Congress fighting the elections together would benefit the state because "legitimate opposition voices are essential".&nbsp;</p>

<p>He added that the arrangement — the three parties had announced yesterday that they were coming together in a grand alliance — was to "protect Jammu and Kashmir from (the) current mess".&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nobody ever suggested that we would be fighting polls together. This arrangement was to protect J&amp;K from current mess. I don't believe that NC, PDP &amp; Congress fighting elections together will in any way benefit J&amp;K because legitimate opposition voices are essential: Omar Abdullah <a href="https://t.co/GTQOvY2Wvv">pic.twitter.com/GTQOvY2Wvv</a></p>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1065528342462517248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti wrote to Govenor Satya Pal Malik after news of the three parties coming together broke, staking her claim to form a government in the state.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The three parties between them had the numbers needed to form a government. (There was also a rival claim from Sajjad Lone of the People's Conference. Lone said he had the backing of the BJP.)&nbsp;</p>

<p>Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik however <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/i-did-not-act-on-bjps-behest-nobody-gave-me-list-of-mlas-says-jk-governor-satya-pal-malik-after-dissolving-assembly-178721">dissolved the assembly</a> saying the three parties had differing ideologies and would not be able to provide&nbsp;a stable government.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The dissolution of the assembly means the state will have to hold elections within six months.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Thursday, Omar said he did not have a legal case to make against the governor since he had not provided documentary support to Mufti's PDP but had only talked to them.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He added that it was up to Mufti to decide whether she wanted to challenge the governor's decision in the courts.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Legally,we don't have case to make. As I don't have a document on which to claim Guv ignored what we had to say. My conversation was with PDP. It's for PDP to decide whether it wants to take legal recourse.I didn't provide documentary support: O Abdullah on J&amp;K assembly dissolved <a href="https://t.co/wltKrto8Cg">pic.twitter.com/wltKrto8Cg</a></p>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1065525319703113730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>"We don't want to create a situation like 1987 where all political parties in the valley come together and the only space that remains is for fringe. As I said to Mehbooba Mufti Ji on Twitter yesterday, we have to fight another day, good luck to her, good luck to us," said Omar.&nbsp;</p>


Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said Thursday that he does not belive the NC, PDP and Congress fighting the elections together would benefit the state because "legitimate opposition voices are essential".

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said Thursday that he does not belive the NC, PDP and Congress fighting the elections together would benefit the state because "legitimate opposition voices are essential". He added that the arrangement — the three parties had announced yesterday that they were coming together in a grand alliance — was to "protect Jammu and Kashmir from (the) current mess". Nobody ever suggested that we would be fighting polls together. This arrangement was to protect J&K from current mess. I don't believe that NC, PDP & Congress fighting elections together will in any way benefit J&K because legitimate opposition voices are essential: Omar Abdullah pic.twitter.com/GTQOvY2Wvv — ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2018 × PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti wrote to Govenor Satya Pal Malik after news of the three parties coming together broke, staking her claim to form a government in the state. The three parties between them had the numbers needed to form a government. (There was also a rival claim from Sajjad Lone of the People's Conference. Lone said he had the backing of the BJP.) Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik however dissolved the assembly saying the three parties had differing ideologies and would not be able to provide a stable government. The dissolution of the assembly means the state will have to hold elections within six months. On Thursday, Omar said he did not have a legal case to make against the governor since he had not provided documentary support to Mufti's PDP but had only talked to them. He added that it was up to Mufti to decide whether she wanted to challenge the governor's decision in the courts. Legally,we don't have case to make. As I don't have a document on which to claim Guv ignored what we had to say. My conversation was with PDP. It's for PDP to decide whether it wants to take legal recourse.I didn't provide documentary support: O Abdullah on J&K assembly dissolved pic.twitter.com/wltKrto8Cg — ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2018 × "We don't want to create a situation like 1987 where all political parties in the valley come together and the only space that remains is for fringe. As I said to Mehbooba Mufti Ji on Twitter yesterday, we have to fight another day, good luck to her, good luck to us," said Omar.

'Good luck to us': Omar Abdullah day after Governor dissolves J&K assembly

<p>What started as a bang and great hope has ended in a great tragedy in Kashmir. The attempt to bridge Jammu with Kashmir has ended in a disaster. Today Kashmir is back to square one. The civilian life stands disrupted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The modicum of normalcy which existed prior to 2014 lies completely shattered. Though every development in Kashmir cannot be heaped on BJP but the party is surely to be blamed for the response it came up with months after months.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Kashmir became an experiment shop for the nationalist narrative. Unnecessary debates dominated the tenure of the PDP-BJP development.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Whether it was the state flag, Article 370, Article 35(A) - unnecessary controversies dominated the tenure of the regime. The worst disservice was that Army was brought into Kashmir issue as a political agent. Indian Army’s view became another pillar in the conversation which was already suffering from political McCarthyism.</p>

<p>Unfortunate thing is that Army’s view was never an issue but their position on certain issues was continuously milked to attack and discredit the Opposition. It played out well for the audience in the heartland but ended up alienating average Kashmiri and adding strain on the alliance which ultimately cracked because of the inherent contradictions. Both of them were unnatural partners who were ideologically opposed and represented opposed social constituencies.</p>

<p>Despite unending failure at every level, BJP still thought of something unimaginable. It thought of pushing Sajad Lone as the CM face and tried to encourage defections. It pushed the narrative of 'Third Party' in a play where none existed. The push prompted political reorganisation by National Conference (NC), PDP and Congress. Whether it was fear, hard political compulsion or matter of survival, it spooked the BJP. The worst fear of BJP came into existence like wildfire. The real issue was what if 'Grand Alliance' becomes a reality in J&amp;K? Will it have an impact on elections?&nbsp;</p>

<p>These are conjunctures, but the fact remains that the BJP’s incessant push to remain in power through backdoor created an alignment which neither of them was interested in.</p>

<p>There is no doubt that PDP and NC are not the best of partners, but they have more ideological similarity than what is shared between BJP and PDP. On top of it, Congress has been in alliance with both NC and PDP. So, the reason given by the Governor of horse trading and ideological divide does not hold water. It shows that BJP became nervous that if this alliance comes to power then it will add weight to the idea behind 'Grand Alliance' again.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is, for this reason, the BJP decided to opt for the more convenient option which is President’s rule. It happened despite the fact that both NC and Congress in long run did not want to tie up with PDP which has burnt its political ground in South Kashmir.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Kashmir shows the limit of push a political party and state can exert on society. Unbridled power and hard politics divorced from political ethics can produce results like these. Indira Gandhi’s total hegemony brought everyone together. Today, BJP stands in the same total position without realising that uncontained political ambition can be self-limiting.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Accommodative politics sometimes leads to better longevity. There are many lessons and less known issues. For example, as to why Home Minister Rajnath Singh and General Secretary in charge of J&amp;K Ram Madhav could not convince Modi-Shah duo to let Assembly survive for a few more days would be another story, but Kashmir, in the end, has come out as the real victim of national politics.</p>

<p>This is the tragedy with which the nation will have to deal with in the longer run. A Kashmir which is more fragile, more alienated and less safe and all cannot be blamed on the enemy across the border. Some responsibility also lies with BJP.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)<br />
&nbsp;</em></p>


What started as a bang and great hope has ended in a great tragedy in Kashmir. The attempt to bridge Jammu with Kashmir has ended in a disaster. Today Kashmir is back to square one.

What started as a bang and great hope has ended in a great tragedy in Kashmir. The attempt to bridge Jammu with Kashmir has ended in a disaster. Today Kashmir is back to square one. The civilian life stands disrupted. The modicum of normalcy which existed prior to 2014 lies completely shattered. Though every development in Kashmir cannot be heaped on BJP but the party is surely to be blamed for the response it came up with months after months. Kashmir became an experiment shop for the nationalist narrative. Unnecessary debates dominated the tenure of the PDP-BJP development. Whether it was the state flag, Article 370, Article 35(A) - unnecessary controversies dominated the tenure of the regime. The worst disservice was that Army was brought into Kashmir issue as a political agent. Indian Army’s view became another pillar in the conversation which was already suffering from political McCarthyism. Unfortunate thing is that Army’s view was never an issue but their position on certain issues was continuously milked to attack and discredit the Opposition. It played out well for the audience in the heartland but ended up alienating average Kashmiri and adding strain on the alliance which ultimately cracked because of the inherent contradictions. Both of them were unnatural partners who were ideologically opposed and represented opposed social constituencies. Despite unending failure at every level, BJP still thought of something unimaginable. It thought of pushing Sajad Lone as the CM face and tried to encourage defections. It pushed the narrative of 'Third Party' in a play where none existed. The push prompted political reorganisation by National Conference (NC), PDP and Congress. Whether it was fear, hard political compulsion or matter of survival, it spooked the BJP. The worst fear of BJP came into existence like wildfire. The real issue was what if 'Grand Alliance' becomes a reality in J&K? Will it have an impact on elections? These are conjunctures, but the fact remains that the BJP’s incessant push to remain in power through backdoor created an alignment which neither of them was interested in. There is no doubt that PDP and NC are not the best of partners, but they have more ideological similarity than what is shared between BJP and PDP. On top of it, Congress has been in alliance with both NC and PDP. So, the reason given by the Governor of horse trading and ideological divide does not hold water. It shows that BJP became nervous that if this alliance comes to power then it will add weight to the idea behind 'Grand Alliance' again. It is, for this reason, the BJP decided to opt for the more convenient option which is President’s rule. It happened despite the fact that both NC and Congress in long run did not want to tie up with PDP which has burnt its political ground in South Kashmir. Kashmir shows the limit of push a political party and state can exert on society. Unbridled power and hard politics divorced from political ethics can produce results like these. Indira Gandhi’s total hegemony brought everyone together. Today, BJP stands in the same total position without realising that uncontained political ambition can be self-limiting. Accommodative politics sometimes leads to better longevity. There are many lessons and less known issues. For example, as to why Home Minister Rajnath Singh and General Secretary in charge of J&K Ram Madhav could not convince Modi-Shah duo to let Assembly survive for a few more days would be another story, but Kashmir, in the end, has come out as the real victim of national politics. This is the tragedy with which the nation will have to deal with in the longer run. A Kashmir which is more fragile, more alienated and less safe and all cannot be blamed on the enemy across the border. Some responsibility also lies with BJP. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

End of honeymoon: Political McCarthyism bites BJP in Kashmir

<p>Ram Madhav, National General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday took back his comment that the alliance between PDP, Congress and National Conference was made on Pakistan's behest after Omar Abdullah asked him to prove his allegation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Earlier the two leaders clashed on Twitter, a day after Governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.</p>

<p>Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah objected to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) General Secretary, Ram Madhav suggesting that Abdullah's National Conference (NC) had tied up with arch-rival Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to form a government on "instructions from across the border".</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Just landed@Aizawl n saw this. Now tht u deny any external pressure I take back my comment, bt, now tht u proved it ws genuine love btw NC n PDP tht prompted a failed govt formation attempt,u shud fight nxt elections 2gether. 😂Mind u it’s pol comnt,not personal <a href="https://t.co/DsOYiwwXmo">https://t.co/DsOYiwwXmo</a></p>
— Ram Madhav (@rammadhavbjp) <a href="https://twitter.com/rammadhavbjp/status/1065524861676728320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>"No, misplaced attempts at humour won`t work. You HAVE claimed my party has been acting at the behest of Pakistan. I dare you to prove it! Place the evidence of your allegation of NC boycott of ULB polls at Pak behest in the public domain. It`s an open challenge to you &amp; your Govt.," Omar Abdullah tweeted.</p>

<p>In an exclusive interview with ANI on Thursday, Madhav had said, "The PDP and NC boycotted local body polls last month because they had instructions from across the border. Probably they had fresh instructions from across the border to come together and form a government.</p>

<p>"On Wednesday, arch rivals PDP, NC along with Congress confirmed that they stitched up an alliance to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir, which has been under Governor`s rule since June when the BJP ended its ruling alliance with the PDP. Madhav was quick to clarify that he didn`t mean to offend Abdullah."Just take it in your stride @OmarAbdullah Not questioning your patriotism at all. But d sudden love between NC n PDP nd hurry to form government leads to many suspicions n political comments. Not to offend u," Madhav said in a Tweet.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from ANI)</em></p>


Ram Madhav, National General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday took back his comment that the alliance between PDP, Congress and National Conference was made on Pakistan's behest after Omar Abdullah asked him to prove his allegation.

Ram Madhav, National General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday took back his comment that the alliance between PDP, Congress and National Conference was made on Pakistan's behest after Omar Abdullah asked him to prove his allegation. Earlier the two leaders clashed on Twitter, a day after Governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah objected to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) General Secretary, Ram Madhav suggesting that Abdullah's National Conference (NC) had tied up with arch-rival Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to form a government on "instructions from across the border". Just landed@Aizawl n saw this. Now tht u deny any external pressure I take back my comment, bt, now tht u proved it ws genuine love btw NC n PDP tht prompted a failed govt formation attempt,u shud fight nxt elections 2gether. 😂Mind u it’s pol comnt,not personal https://t.co/DsOYiwwXmo — Ram Madhav (@rammadhavbjp) November 22, 2018 × "No, misplaced attempts at humour won`t work. You HAVE claimed my party has been acting at the behest of Pakistan. I dare you to prove it! Place the evidence of your allegation of NC boycott of ULB polls at Pak behest in the public domain. It`s an open challenge to you & your Govt.," Omar Abdullah tweeted. In an exclusive interview with ANI on Thursday, Madhav had said, "The PDP and NC boycotted local body polls last month because they had instructions from across the border. Probably they had fresh instructions from across the border to come together and form a government. "On Wednesday, arch rivals PDP, NC along with Congress confirmed that they stitched up an alliance to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir, which has been under Governor`s rule since June when the BJP ended its ruling alliance with the PDP. Madhav was quick to clarify that he didn`t mean to offend Abdullah."Just take it in your stride @OmarAbdullah Not questioning your patriotism at all. But d sudden love between NC n PDP nd hurry to form government leads to many suspicions n political comments. Not to offend u," Madhav said in a Tweet. (With inputs from ANI)

Ram Madhav takes back his 'Pakistan behind J&K alliance' comment after Omar dare

<p>Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan government must to do some soul searching on India's legitimate concerns to make way for a process of engagement on Kashmir, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has said.</p>

<p>The senior Kashmiri politician said that while a one-off summit-based approach is not the answer, any hopes of a proper dialogue on the issue, "insulated from forces that are inimical to a dialogue on both sides of the border", would have to wait to be realised at the end of India's general election cycle in May 2019.</p>

<p>"While we are going through our election process, I think Pakistan needs to do a bit of soul searching in terms of addressing legitimate concerns that India has," he said.</p>

<p>The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, who was in London to participate in an event organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) around changing the narratives within the India-Pakistan bilateral context, said the Pakistan government's decisions such as letting Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed "roam free" had proved a setback to the much-needed confidence building measures.</p>

<p>"The recent decision of the Imran Khan government to release 20 stamps on Kashmir does not help, when instead of confidence building measures we have steps that break confidence,"Abdullah said on the sidelines of the event in London on Friday.</p>

<p>The release of some 20 postal stamps, glorifying Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani and others, by Pakistan was one of the reasons India cited to call of a proposed meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in New York in September.</p>

<p>"Pakistan is our neighbour; whatever concerns we have with Pakistan, we have accepted that war is not an option. So, the only option available to us is talks. We need to resolve our differences through dialogue. But for that, at some stage, Pakistan will also have to take India's concerns on board," he said.</p>

<p>Abdullah also lamented the "vast gap" between the Government of India and its representative in Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik, and the youth of J&amp;K, which needs to be narrowed urgently.</p>

<p>He said: "The youth of Jammu and Kashmir are perhaps more alienated today than they have been since the early 1990s; when educated youngsters and people with secure jobs are joining the ranks of militancy. And that's a very worrying sign.</p>

<p>"At the moment, it is about hoping that some smaller corrective measures can be taken now to reduce the levels of alienation, with a higher degree of engagement once we are through with this election cycle."&nbsp;</p>

<p>AS Dulat, former Intelligence Bureau (IB) Special Director and former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief who was among the participants at the IISS event, also expressed hope that dialogue would be re-initiated between India and Pakistan soon.</p>

<p>"We should talk and never stop talking. I remain optimistic on a solution in Kashmir," said Dulat, who pointed to former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's four-point formula dating back to 2006 as a "good starting point".</p>

<p>"If that agreement had been worked out between (Gen Pervez) Musharraf and Dr Manmohan Singh, my assessment is that we would have had at least 15 years of peace in Kashmir," he said.</p>

<p>Congress party spokesperson Manish Tewari explained that the aim of the London event was to explore the building blocks of a narrative which can correct perceptions that India and Pakistan have about each other.</p>

<p>"There is a feeling that confidence building measures and the creation of a positive narrative have to precede conflict resolution. It is a step by step process and every incremental step would then add up to a whole," he said.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan government must to do some soul searching on India's legitimate concerns to make way for a process of engagement on Kashmir, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has said.

Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan government must to do some soul searching on India's legitimate concerns to make way for a process of engagement on Kashmir, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has said. The senior Kashmiri politician said that while a one-off summit-based approach is not the answer, any hopes of a proper dialogue on the issue, "insulated from forces that are inimical to a dialogue on both sides of the border", would have to wait to be realised at the end of India's general election cycle in May 2019. "While we are going through our election process, I think Pakistan needs to do a bit of soul searching in terms of addressing legitimate concerns that India has," he said. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, who was in London to participate in an event organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) around changing the narratives within the India-Pakistan bilateral context, said the Pakistan government's decisions such as letting Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed "roam free" had proved a setback to the much-needed confidence building measures. "The recent decision of the Imran Khan government to release 20 stamps on Kashmir does not help, when instead of confidence building measures we have steps that break confidence,"Abdullah said on the sidelines of the event in London on Friday. The release of some 20 postal stamps, glorifying Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani and others, by Pakistan was one of the reasons India cited to call of a proposed meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in New York in September. "Pakistan is our neighbour; whatever concerns we have with Pakistan, we have accepted that war is not an option. So, the only option available to us is talks. We need to resolve our differences through dialogue. But for that, at some stage, Pakistan will also have to take India's concerns on board," he said. Abdullah also lamented the "vast gap" between the Government of India and its representative in Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik, and the youth of J&K, which needs to be narrowed urgently. He said: "The youth of Jammu and Kashmir are perhaps more alienated today than they have been since the early 1990s; when educated youngsters and people with secure jobs are joining the ranks of militancy. And that's a very worrying sign. "At the moment, it is about hoping that some smaller corrective measures can be taken now to reduce the levels of alienation, with a higher degree of engagement once we are through with this election cycle." AS Dulat, former Intelligence Bureau (IB) Special Director and former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief who was among the participants at the IISS event, also expressed hope that dialogue would be re-initiated between India and Pakistan soon. "We should talk and never stop talking. I remain optimistic on a solution in Kashmir," said Dulat, who pointed to former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's four-point formula dating back to 2006 as a "good starting point". "If that agreement had been worked out between (Gen Pervez) Musharraf and Dr Manmohan Singh, my assessment is that we would have had at least 15 years of peace in Kashmir," he said. Congress party spokesperson Manish Tewari explained that the aim of the London event was to explore the building blocks of a narrative which can correct perceptions that India and Pakistan have about each other. "There is a feeling that confidence building measures and the creation of a positive narrative have to precede conflict resolution. It is a step by step process and every incremental step would then add up to a whole," he said.

Pakistan must do some soul searching on India's legitimate concerns: Omar Abdullah

<p>Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday sarcastically questioned the labelling of jackets sent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to South Korean President Moon Jae-in as 'Modi Jacket'.</p>

<p>Omar said in all his life he knew these jackets as 'Nehru jackets'.</p>

<p>And sarcastically concluded by saying 'nothing existed in India before 2014'.</p>

<p>In his tweet targeting the prime minister, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister wrote, “It’s really nice of our PM to send these but could he not have sent them without changing the name? All my life I’ve known these jackets as Nehru jackets &amp; now I find these ones have been labelled “Modi Jacket”. Clearly, nothing existed in India before 2014.”&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">It’s really nice of our PM to send these but could he not have sent them without changing the name? All my life I’ve known these jackets as Nehru jackets &amp; now I find these ones have been labelled “Modi Jacket”. Clearly nothing existed in India before 2014. <a href="https://t.co/MOa0wY37tr">https://t.co/MOa0wY37tr</a></p>
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) <a href="https://twitter.com/OmarAbdullah/status/1057555242097799168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>On Wednesday, Recalling his visit to India, South Korean President Moon Jae-in thanked PM Modi on in a Twitter post, “During my visit to India, I had told the Prime Minister @narendramodi that he looked great in those vests, and he duly sent them over, all meticulously tailored to my size. I would like to thank him for this kind gesture.”</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">During my visit to India, I had told the Prime Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> that he looked great in those vests, and he duly sent them over, all meticulously tailored to my size. I would like to thank him for this kind gesture. <a href="https://t.co/wRgekJSW16">pic.twitter.com/wRgekJSW16</a></p>
— 문재인 (@moonriver365) <a href="https://twitter.com/moonriver365/status/1057534851555840000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>“During my visit to India, I had told the Prime Minister @narendramodi that he looked great in those vests, and he duly sent them over, all meticulously tailored to my size. I would like to thank him for this kind gesture,” he added.</p>


Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday sarcastically questioned the labelling of jackets sent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to South Korean President Moon Jae-in as 'Modi Jacket'.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday sarcastically questioned the labelling of jackets sent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to South Korean President Moon Jae-in as 'Modi Jacket'. Omar said in all his life he knew these jackets as 'Nehru jackets'. And sarcastically concluded by saying 'nothing existed in India before 2014'. In his tweet targeting the prime minister, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister wrote, “It’s really nice of our PM to send these but could he not have sent them without changing the name? All my life I’ve known these jackets as Nehru jackets & now I find these ones have been labelled “Modi Jacket”. Clearly, nothing existed in India before 2014.” It’s really nice of our PM to send these but could he not have sent them without changing the name? All my life I’ve known these jackets as Nehru jackets & now I find these ones have been labelled “Modi Jacket”. Clearly nothing existed in India before 2014. https://t.co/MOa0wY37tr — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) October 31, 2018 × On Wednesday, Recalling his visit to India, South Korean President Moon Jae-in thanked PM Modi on in a Twitter post, “During my visit to India, I had told the Prime Minister @narendramodi that he looked great in those vests, and he duly sent them over, all meticulously tailored to my size. I would like to thank him for this kind gesture.” During my visit to India, I had told the Prime Minister @narendramodi that he looked great in those vests, and he duly sent them over, all meticulously tailored to my size. I would like to thank him for this kind gesture. pic.twitter.com/wRgekJSW16 — 문재인 (@moonriver365) October 31, 2018 × “During my visit to India, I had told the Prime Minister @narendramodi that he looked great in those vests, and he duly sent them over, all meticulously tailored to my size. I would like to thank him for this kind gesture,” he added.

I knew them as Nehru jackets: Omar questions 'Modi jacket' to South Korean President

<p>National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah on Monday slammed Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti over her "hollow" tweet on the violence in the state, and said that her brother Tassaduq Mufti was more honest than her in voicing the opinion on the situation.</p>

<p>In the wake of the Pulwama encounter, Mufti had called for unity among the people and professed that "violence is no solution to the issues that plague us".</p>

<p>Quoting her tweet, the former chief minister said, "Your tweet has a hollow ring to it. At least your brother was more honest than you. This blood is the price Kashmiris are paying for you to remain CM & for PDP & BJP to remain "partners in crime"."</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Your tweet has a hollow ring to it. At least your brother was more honest than you. This blood is the price Kashmiris are paying for you to remain CM & for PDP & BJP to remain “partners in crime”. <a href="https://t.co/KTy5uclfPG">https://t.co/KTy5uclfPG</a></p>
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) <a href="https://twitter.com/OmarAbdullah/status/993324219005067265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Abdullah was referring to the People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader and Culture Minister of the state, Tassaduq Mufti's earlier statement to a media house, wherein he expressed a strong objection to the BJP-PDP alliance said that both the parties "ended up being partners in a crime (for which) an entire generation of Kashmiris might have to pay with their blood."</p>

<p>Tassaduq Mufti also said the whole party shared this view.</p>

<p>Abdullah continued the attack against Mufti with another tweet, asking if the deceased civillians' would get justice or not.</p>

<p>"One question though, as the state Home Minister & head of the Unified Command you have admitted these boys are "innocent civilians" so who will be charged & hanged for their cold blooded murder? Or should I be asking @HMOIndia this question?" read the tweet.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">One question though, as the state Home Minister & head of the Unified Command you have admitted these boys are “innocent civilians” so who will be charged & hanged for their cold blooded murder? Or should I be asking <a href="https://twitter.com/HMOIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HMOIndia</a> this question? <a href="https://t.co/KTy5uclfPG">https://t.co/KTy5uclfPG</a></p>
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) <a href="https://twitter.com/OmarAbdullah/status/993326157729878016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Yesterday five civillians were killed during an encounter between terrorists and security forces at Badigam area of Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian. Five terrorists were also killed in the encounter.</p>

<p>&nbsp</p>

<p>&nbsp</p>

<p>&nbsp</p>


Mufti had called for unity among the people and professed that "violence is no solution to the issues that plague us".

National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah on Monday slammed Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti over her "hollow" tweet on the violence in the state, and said that her brother Tassaduq Mufti was more honest than her in voicing the opinion on the situation. In the wake of the Pulwama encounter, Mufti had called for unity among the people and professed that "violence is no solution to the issues that plague us". Quoting her tweet, the former chief minister said, "Your tweet has a hollow ring to it. At least your brother was more honest than you. This blood is the price Kashmiris are paying for you to remain CM & for PDP & BJP to remain "partners in crime"." Your tweet has a hollow ring to it. At least your brother was more honest than you. This blood is the price Kashmiris are paying for you to remain CM & for PDP & BJP to remain “partners in crime”. https://t.co/KTy5uclfPG — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 7, 2018 × Abdullah was referring to the People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader and Culture Minister of the state, Tassaduq Mufti's earlier statement to a media house, wherein he expressed a strong objection to the BJP-PDP alliance said that both the parties "ended up being partners in a crime (for which) an entire generation of Kashmiris might have to pay with their blood." Tassaduq Mufti also said the whole party shared this view. Abdullah continued the attack against Mufti with another tweet, asking if the deceased civillians' would get justice or not. "One question though, as the state Home Minister & head of the Unified Command you have admitted these boys are "innocent civilians" so who will be charged & hanged for their cold blooded murder? Or should I be asking @HMOIndia this question?" read the tweet. One question though, as the state Home Minister & head of the Unified Command you have admitted these boys are “innocent civilians” so who will be charged & hanged for their cold blooded murder? Or should I be asking @HMOIndia this question? https://t.co/KTy5uclfPG — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 7, 2018 × Yesterday five civillians were killed during an encounter between terrorists and security forces at Badigam area of Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian. Five terrorists were also killed in the encounter.

Your brother more honest than you: Omar Abdullah to Mehbooba Mufti

<p>Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah Friday said he had a "great session" at University of California in the US and termed an attempt to heckle him "tamasha"&nbspby just four people.</p>

<p>He was referring to a video in which some Kashmiri-Americans are shown confronting him as he was leaving the venue after making his speech.</p>

<p>The protesters accused Omar Abdullah of playing "dirty politics"&nbspand threatened to take him to the International Criminal Court.&nbsp</p>

<p>The working president of opposition National Conference was invited by the university to speak on The path forward in Kashmir.</p>

<p>I had a great session at @UCBerkeley & don't let anyone tell you otherwise. FOUR hecklers (in an audience of 150+) who waited till the event concluded to make YouTube videos of themselves cant take away from an excellent Q&A session there, he wrote on Twitter.</p>

<p>The National Conference leader said he was looking forward to the organisers uploading the video of the entire session. Im, looking forward to the organisers putting the video of the entire session online so that the people who've seen the short tamasha can see how much substantial stuff happened before that, he said.</p>

<p>The NC leader said heckling by four persons was not a big deal. And lastly I've (I have) never claimed to be universally loved or even liked so if 4 (four) people in such a large audience make their dislike known its really not such a big deal at all. At least no one threw eggs or a shaving foam pie at me, he said.&nbsp</p>


Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah Friday said he had a 'great session' at University of California in the US and termed an attempt to heckle him 'tamasha' by just four people

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah Friday said he had a "great session" at University of California in the US and termed an attempt to heckle him "tamasha"&nbspby just four people. He was referring to a video in which some Kashmiri-Americans are shown confronting him as he was leaving the venue after making his speech. The protesters accused Omar Abdullah of playing "dirty politics"&nbspand threatened to take him to the International Criminal Court. The working president of opposition National Conference was invited by the university to speak on The path forward in Kashmir. I had a great session at @UCBerkeley & don't let anyone tell you otherwise. FOUR hecklers (in an audience of 150+) who waited till the event concluded to make YouTube videos of themselves cant take away from an excellent Q&A session there, he wrote on Twitter. The National Conference leader said he was looking forward to the organisers uploading the video of the entire session. Im, looking forward to the organisers putting the video of the entire session online so that the people who've seen the short tamasha can see how much substantial stuff happened before that, he said. The NC leader said heckling by four persons was not a big deal. And lastly I've (I have) never claimed to be universally loved or even liked so if 4 (four) people in such a large audience make their dislike known its really not such a big deal at all. At least no one threw eggs or a shaving foam pie at me, he said.

Heckling in US just tamasha, says Omar

<p>Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence over the rape and killing of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua district of the State.</p>

<p>“Hon PM sir, there isn’t a day when we don’t hear you speak about things that are important to you yet there are times when you are completely silent about things that are important to others,” he tweeted.</p>

<p>Abdullah requested the Prime Minister not to let the girl be “someone you choose to remain silent about”.</p>

<p>Abdullah also asked the ministers who supported the killers and threatened the police not to make arrests in the case to step down and said that they have no right to stay in the cabinet.</p>

<p>''Ministers who supported the killers of Kathua rape and murder case victim and threatened police not to make arrests have no right to stay in the cabinet. Mehbooba Mufti should take action just like she took against Haseeb Drabu (ex J&K FM), whose crime wasn't this heinous,'' Omar Abdullah said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The rape and killing of the girl, who belonged to the nomadic Bakerwal Muslim community, has become a national issue. Details of the crime surfaced following filing of charges.</p>

<p>The girl had disappeared from a spot near her house close to Rasana village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua on January 10. A week later, her body was found in the same area.</p>

<p>A Special Investigation Team, formed to probe the incident, has arrested eight people, including two special police officers (SPOs) and a head constable, who was charged with destroying evidence.</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


“Hon PM sir, there isn’t a day when we don’t hear you speak about things that are important to you yet there are times when you are completely silent about things that are important to others,” he tweeted.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence over the rape and killing of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua district of the State. “Hon PM sir, there isn’t a day when we don’t hear you speak about things that are important to you yet there are times when you are completely silent about things that are important to others,” he tweeted. Abdullah requested the Prime Minister not to let the girl be “someone you choose to remain silent about”. Abdullah also asked the ministers who supported the killers and threatened the police not to make arrests in the case to step down and said that they have no right to stay in the cabinet. ''Ministers who supported the killers of Kathua rape and murder case victim and threatened police not to make arrests have no right to stay in the cabinet. Mehbooba Mufti should take action just like she took against Haseeb Drabu (ex J&K FM), whose crime wasn't this heinous,'' Omar Abdullah said. The rape and killing of the girl, who belonged to the nomadic Bakerwal Muslim community, has become a national issue. Details of the crime surfaced following filing of charges. The girl had disappeared from a spot near her house close to Rasana village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua on January 10. A week later, her body was found in the same area. A Special Investigation Team, formed to probe the incident, has arrested eight people, including two special police officers (SPOs) and a head constable, who was charged with destroying evidence.

Kathua rape and murder: Omar Abdullah asks PM Modi to break silence

<p>A Kashmiri man whose video of a death-defying stunt went viral, on Wednesday&nbsp;apologised&nbsp;for performing such a&nbsp;dangerous stunt.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Terming his&nbsp;stunt stupid, the youth identified as Aadil, apologised to everyone who commented and shared his video.</p>

<p>&quot;I don&#39;t know how to explain that how much I feel ashamed at this time. I&#39;m appealing all the people plz plz forgive me and I wouldn&#39;t repeat it again,&quot; he added,</p>

<p>Aadil further asked for forgiveness from police and requested to not send him to prison.</p>

<p>Aadil from Bijbehara from South of Kashmir performed a dangerous stunt in which he was lying on a railway track with his face down and was approached by a train in high speed coming directly&nbsp;at him.</p>

<p>The train&nbsp;passes over him completely leaving Aadil without any harm.</p>

<p>The Aadil can be seen celebrating after the stunt in a video recorded by an unidentified person.</p>

<p>The incident&nbsp;raised security concerns in the valley and people asked for immediate action on&nbsp;Aadil and whoever was involved in the incident.</p>

<p>Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah also shared his video saying &quot;I can&rsquo;t believe the stupidity of these young men.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">There is something drastically wrong with this sort of adventure seeking. I can&rsquo;t believe the stupidity of these young men. <a href="https://t.co/83lLWanozR">pic.twitter.com/83lLWanozR</a></p>
&mdash; Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) <a href="https://twitter.com/OmarAbdullah/status/955791718216953856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Many Whatsapp group administrators also urged group members not to share the video as it will encourage more teens to do the same in the name of adventure and thrill.</p>


Identified as Aadil, the youth apologised to everyone who commented and shared his video

A Kashmiri man whose video of a death-defying stunt went viral, on Wednesday apologised for performing such a dangerous stunt. Terming his stunt stupid, the youth identified as Aadil, apologised to everyone who commented and shared his video. "I don't know how to explain that how much I feel ashamed at this time. I'm appealing all the people plz plz forgive me and I wouldn't repeat it again," he added, Aadil further asked for forgiveness from police and requested to not send him to prison. Aadil from Bijbehara from South of Kashmir performed a dangerous stunt in which he was lying on a railway track with his face down and was approached by a train in high speed coming directly at him. The train passes over him completely leaving Aadil without any harm. The Aadil can be seen celebrating after the stunt in a video recorded by an unidentified person. The incident raised security concerns in the valley and people asked for immediate action on Aadil and whoever was involved in the incident. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah also shared his video saying "I can’t believe the stupidity of these young men." There is something drastically wrong with this sort of adventure seeking. I can’t believe the stupidity of these young men. pic.twitter.com/83lLWanozR — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) January 23, 2018 × Many Whatsapp group administrators also urged group members not to share the video as it will encourage more teens to do the same in the name of adventure and thrill.

Watch: Kashmiri youth apologises for death-defying train stunt that went viral

<p>Opposition leaders came together in Mumbai for a march on Friday which began from B R Ambedkar&#39;s statue near the state secretariat in the afternoon.</p>

<p>Leaders like Sharad Pawar, Sharad Yadav, D Raja, Hardik Patel, Omar Abdullah, Dinesh Trivedi and Sushilkumar Shinde took part in the &#39;Save Constitution&#39; march.</p>

<p>&quot;Since 1947, we have been deriving our identity from the Indian Constitution. We all have come here to send across a message that to save the country, the constitution should be protected,&quot; former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said after the march.</p>

<p>Earlier, the leaders met at the official residence of Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil in south Mumbai.</p>

<p>Sharad Pawar (NCP), Sharad Yadav (rebel JD-U leader), D Raja (CPI), Hardik Patel (Gujarat&#39;s Patidar leader), Dinesh Trivedi (Trinamool Congress) and Sushilkumar Shinde (Congress) attended the meeting.</p>

<p>The &#39;Save Constitution&#39; march is being seen as an attempt to consolidate anti-BJP parties ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.</p>

<p>Independent MP from Maharashtra Raju Shetti, the convener of the &#39;Save Constitution&#39; march, who was also present at the meeting, said participants gathered near the Ambedkar statue and began walking towards Shivaji Maharaj statue at the Gateway of India.</p>

<p>Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan and Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam also joined the march.</p>

<p>The Maharashtra unit of the BJP has, meanwhile, organised &#39;Tiranga Yatra&#39; in the city on Friday to counter the opposition event.</p>

<p>Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar said that several ministers, MPs and MLAs will participate in the Yatra.</p>

<p>Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will address the gathering when it converges at Kamgar Maidan, he said.</p>

<p>The procession will start from Chaityabhumi, the memorial of B R Ambedkar in Dadar, before reaching Kamgar Maidan in central Mumbai.</p>


Earlier, the leaders met at the official residence of Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil in south Mumbai.

Opposition leaders came together in Mumbai for a march on Friday which began from B R Ambedkar's statue near the state secretariat in the afternoon. Leaders like Sharad Pawar, Sharad Yadav, D Raja, Hardik Patel, Omar Abdullah, Dinesh Trivedi and Sushilkumar Shinde took part in the 'Save Constitution' march. "Since 1947, we have been deriving our identity from the Indian Constitution. We all have come here to send across a message that to save the country, the constitution should be protected," former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said after the march. Earlier, the leaders met at the official residence of Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil in south Mumbai. Sharad Pawar (NCP), Sharad Yadav (rebel JD-U leader), D Raja (CPI), Hardik Patel (Gujarat's Patidar leader), Dinesh Trivedi (Trinamool Congress) and Sushilkumar Shinde (Congress) attended the meeting. The 'Save Constitution' march is being seen as an attempt to consolidate anti-BJP parties ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Independent MP from Maharashtra Raju Shetti, the convener of the 'Save Constitution' march, who was also present at the meeting, said participants gathered near the Ambedkar statue and began walking towards Shivaji Maharaj statue at the Gateway of India. Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan and Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam also joined the march. The Maharashtra unit of the BJP has, meanwhile, organised 'Tiranga Yatra' in the city on Friday to counter the opposition event. Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar said that several ministers, MPs and MLAs will participate in the Yatra. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will address the gathering when it converges at Kamgar Maidan, he said. The procession will start from Chaityabhumi, the memorial of B R Ambedkar in Dadar, before reaching Kamgar Maidan in central Mumbai.

Opposition leaders march together in Mumbai, setting tone for 2019 polls

<p>Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah has raised questions over the government-appointed <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pmo-has-undermined-dineshwar-sharmas-status-omar-abdullah-23717" target="_blank">interlocutor in Jammu and Kashmir</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While addressing the state assembly, Abdullah said today that they are not aware of Dineshwar Sharma&#39;s role in Jammu and Kashmir. He questioned whether Dineshwar Sharma was a spokesperson, an interlocutor or a special representative.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;We don&#39;t know what Dineshwar Sharma&#39;s role is? Is he a spokesman, an interlocutor or a special representative? Is there a time frame or will he be here indefinitely?&quot;, Omar Abdullah said.</p>

<p>Omar Abdullah hit out at the state government saying that they blamed him for the creation of &quot;Burhan Wani&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He also asked the Jammu and Kashmir government that if they were aware of how many Burhan Wanis had been born in the last one-and-a-half years.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We don&#39;t know what Dineshwar Sharma&#39;s role is? Is he is a spokesman, an interlocutor or a special representative? Is there a time frame or will he be here indefinitely?: Former J&amp;K CM Omar Abdullah in J&amp;K assembly <a href="https://t.co/3eNKkQgFWp">pic.twitter.com/3eNKkQgFWp</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/950687586669928448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Aapne (J&amp;K govt) mujhse kaha tha ki Burhan Wani ko paida karne main mera role hai. Par kabhi aapne socha ki in dedh saalon mein aapne kitne Burhan Wani paida kiye? Mujh par agar ek ka ilzaam hai toh aap par kitno ka hai? Iss baat ka apko ehsaas hona chahiye: Omar Abdullah <a href="https://t.co/HgHoS5HuJP">pic.twitter.com/HgHoS5HuJP</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/950689211035803648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


While addressing the state assembly, Abdullah questioned that if he was a spokesperson, an interlocutor or a special representative

Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah has raised questions over the government-appointed interlocutor in Jammu and Kashmir. While addressing the state assembly, Abdullah said today that they are not aware of Dineshwar Sharma's role in Jammu and Kashmir. He questioned whether Dineshwar Sharma was a spokesperson, an interlocutor or a special representative. "We don't know what Dineshwar Sharma's role is? Is he a spokesman, an interlocutor or a special representative? Is there a time frame or will he be here indefinitely?", Omar Abdullah said. Omar Abdullah hit out at the state government saying that they blamed him for the creation of "Burhan Wani". He also asked the Jammu and Kashmir government that if they were aware of how many Burhan Wanis had been born in the last one-and-a-half years. We don't know what Dineshwar Sharma's role is? Is he is a spokesman, an interlocutor or a special representative? Is there a time frame or will he be here indefinitely?: Former J&K CM Omar Abdullah in J&K assembly pic.twitter.com/3eNKkQgFWp — ANI (@ANI) January 9, 2018 × Aapne (J&K govt) mujhse kaha tha ki Burhan Wani ko paida karne main mera role hai. Par kabhi aapne socha ki in dedh saalon mein aapne kitne Burhan Wani paida kiye? Mujh par agar ek ka ilzaam hai toh aap par kitno ka hai? Iss baat ka apko ehsaas hona chahiye: Omar Abdullah pic.twitter.com/HgHoS5HuJP — ANI (@ANI) January 9, 2018 ×

We don't know what Dineshwar Sharma's role is: Omar Abdullah

<p>After &quot;farrago&quot;, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has let loose another little-used word on the Indian public.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The word farrago was used by Tharoor to describe television reporting by a section of the media on the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Farrago by the way means &quot;a confused mixture&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>You would use it in a sentence that goes something like &quot;a farrago of fact and fiction...&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The new word Tharoor let loose was &quot;rodomontade&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>He tweeted:&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">To all the well-meaning folks who send me parodies of my supposed speaking/writing style: The purpose of speaking or writing is to communicate w/ precision. I choose my words because they are the best ones for the idea i want to convey, not the most obscure or rodomontade ones!</p>
&mdash; Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor/status/941019065136451584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Rodomontade, by the way, means &quot;boastful or inflated talk or behaviour&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Twitter quickly lapped it up and passed it along.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Follow my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShashiTharoor</a> for words you never knew existed... &quot; former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;&amp; will struggle to ever use in a sentence but by golly they sound impressive,&quot; he added.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Learning English? Follow my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShashiTharoor</a> for words you never knew existed &amp; will struggle to ever use in a sentence but by golly they sound impressive. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/rodomontade?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#rodomontade</a> ??</p>
&mdash; Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) <a href="https://twitter.com/OmarAbdullah/status/941158860856815616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Surprisingly, considering social media, most of it was in good humour:&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/rodomontade?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#rodomontade</a> I think this actually means for many &quot;Give my school fees back&quot; :)</p>
&mdash; Ramkrishna Vattikuti (@vattikuti) <a href="https://twitter.com/vattikuti/status/941263031799074817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I can rodomontadely say that day by day I read your rodomontaded tweets in English, I will be rodomontaded of my improved English. A rodomontade Jai Hind sir.</p>
&mdash; Kanatunga (@Kanatunga) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kanatunga/status/941020384924647424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Then again, considering social media, some of it was not:&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Your problem is... You use onerous words to convey rodomontade views defeating the purpose for which vocabulary exists. <a href="https://t.co/G4ubz3LYEx">https://t.co/G4ubz3LYEx</a></p>
&mdash; ?&oslash;&yuml; ?? (@MixedRaita) <a href="https://twitter.com/MixedRaita/status/941246441162461185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Rodomontade by the way means 'boastful or inflated talk or behaviour'

After "farrago", Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has let loose another little-used word on the Indian public. The word farrago was used by Tharoor to describe television reporting by a section of the media on the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar. Farrago by the way means "a confused mixture". You would use it in a sentence that goes something like "a farrago of fact and fiction...". The new word Tharoor let loose was "rodomontade" He tweeted: To all the well-meaning folks who send me parodies of my supposed speaking/writing style: The purpose of speaking or writing is to communicate w/ precision. I choose my words because they are the best ones for the idea i want to convey, not the most obscure or rodomontade ones! — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 13, 2017 × Rodomontade, by the way, means "boastful or inflated talk or behaviour". Twitter quickly lapped it up and passed it along. "Follow my friend @ShashiTharoor for words you never knew existed... " former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted. "& will struggle to ever use in a sentence but by golly they sound impressive," he added. Learning English? Follow my friend @ShashiTharoor for words you never knew existed & will struggle to ever use in a sentence but by golly they sound impressive. #rodomontade ?? — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 14, 2017 × Surprisingly, considering social media, most of it was in good humour: #rodomontade I think this actually means for many "Give my school fees back" :) — Ramkrishna Vattikuti (@vattikuti) December 14, 2017 × I can rodomontadely say that day by day I read your rodomontaded tweets in English, I will be rodomontaded of my improved English. A rodomontade Jai Hind sir. — Kanatunga (@Kanatunga) December 13, 2017 × Then again, considering social media, some of it was not: Your problem is... You use onerous words to convey rodomontade views defeating the purpose for which vocabulary exists. https://t.co/G4ubz3LYEx — ?øÿ ?? (@MixedRaita) December 14, 2017 ×

Tharoor now gives us 'rodomontade', Twitter laps up the word

<p>National Conference working president Omar Abdullah, who met Kashmir interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma in Srinagar today, said nothing was expected from his visit and that the&nbsp;Prime Minister&#39;s Office (PMO) had undermined the interlocutor&#39;s status.</p>

<p>&quot;Nothing expected from Dineshwar Sharma visit. The Prime Minister&#39;s Office (PMO) has undermined his status. The Centre needs to clear its stand.&quot;</p>

<p>The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister added that the meeting between the two was a private meeting. &quot;It was a private meeting, did not discuss autonomy and stated party position.</p>

<p>Omar Abdullah said he told Dineshwar Sharma that he should not sit in a guest house and wait for people to come to meet him and should expand his area of operation.</p>

<p>What we talked about is between us. I put forward certain things and he agreed to consider them because if you just sit at the guest house and wait for people to come nothing will happen. Hope when he comes next his efforts will increase,&quot; Omar Abdullah told ANI when asked about his meeting with the Kashmir interlocutor.</p>

<p>(Also Read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/yes-i-can-talk-to-the-hurriyat-i-will-talk-to-everyone-dineshwar-sharma-23077">Yes, I can talk to the Hurriyat. I will talk to everyone: Govt&#39;s new interlocutor for Kashmir</a>)<br />
<br />
Mr Abdullah also alleged that the central government should &quot;clear the hurdles&quot; in the interlocutor&#39;s way so that he can work freely.</p>

<p>&quot;The hurdles that centre has created by the statements of centre should be stopped so that he can wok freely. We hope if it&rsquo;s done next time more people may meet him,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>He also wrote the outcome of the visit on Twitter:</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Mr Dineshawar Sharma &amp; I met at my residence in Srinagar this morning. We discussed the prevailing situation in the state as also steps that can be taken to make his visits to the state more meaningful.</p>
&mdash; Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) <a href="https://twitter.com/OmarAbdullah/status/928128200726650880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p><br />
The government had said earlier it had <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/former-ib-director-dineshwar-sharma-will-be-governments-representative-in-jk-rajnath-singh-22764">appointed the former director of Intelligence to be the representative of the government in Kashmir</a> for starting a sustained dialogue in the terrorist-infested state.</p>

<p>Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said that Dineshwar Sharma will initiate dialogue with elected representatives of Jammu and Kashmir, political parties, different organisations and people.</p>

<p>Dineshwar Sharma holds the rank equivalent to a cabinet secretary.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Omar Abdullah said nothing was expected from his visit

National Conference working president Omar Abdullah, who met Kashmir interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma in Srinagar today, said nothing was expected from his visit and that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) had undermined the interlocutor's status. "Nothing expected from Dineshwar Sharma visit. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has undermined his status. The Centre needs to clear its stand." The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister added that the meeting between the two was a private meeting. "It was a private meeting, did not discuss autonomy and stated party position. Omar Abdullah said he told Dineshwar Sharma that he should not sit in a guest house and wait for people to come to meet him and should expand his area of operation. What we talked about is between us. I put forward certain things and he agreed to consider them because if you just sit at the guest house and wait for people to come nothing will happen. Hope when he comes next his efforts will increase," Omar Abdullah told ANI when asked about his meeting with the Kashmir interlocutor. (Also Read: Yes, I can talk to the Hurriyat. I will talk to everyone: Govt's new interlocutor for Kashmir) Mr Abdullah also alleged that the central government should "clear the hurdles" in the interlocutor's way so that he can work freely. "The hurdles that centre has created by the statements of centre should be stopped so that he can wok freely. We hope if it’s done next time more people may meet him," he said. He also wrote the outcome of the visit on Twitter: Mr Dineshawar Sharma & I met at my residence in Srinagar this morning. We discussed the prevailing situation in the state as also steps that can be taken to make his visits to the state more meaningful. — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) November 8, 2017 × The government had said earlier it had appointed the former director of Intelligence to be the representative of the government in Kashmir for starting a sustained dialogue in the terrorist-infested state. Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said that Dineshwar Sharma will initiate dialogue with elected representatives of Jammu and Kashmir, political parties, different organisations and people. Dineshwar Sharma holds the rank equivalent to a cabinet secretary.

PMO has undermined Dineshwar Sharma's status: Omar Abdullah

<p>In a first, the Congress party has decided that it will not&nbsp;push for a Congress candidate for the presidential elections.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The name of Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, who has served as the governor of West Bengal in the past, is doing the rounds as a consensus candidate for the opposition.</p>

<p>Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, is pushing for opposition unity and it is for this reason that she is amenable to the idea of Gopalkrishna Gandhi being put up as the presidential candidate of a united opposition.</p>

<p>Even some of the non-Congress opposition parties are sceptical to back a Congress candidate for the presidential election.</p>

<p>Sources in the Congress confirmed that the reason why Sonia Gandhi is open to a non-Congress candidate is because she doesn&rsquo;t want to give a walkover to BJP which has the numbers this time around for the President&rsquo;s election. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Though Meira Kumar&rsquo;s name also came up for discussion but there weren&rsquo;t many takers for the name. Many in the opposition are of the view that since BJP is going to propose an insider&rsquo;s name for the President, Mahatma&rsquo;s grandson may work as a glue for the entire opposition.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sources also said that even Mamata Banerjee is amenable to the idea of having Gopalkrishna Gandhi as the presidential candidate of a united opposition. Though a formal meeting between Mamata Banerjee and Sonia Gandhi is scheduled for the third week of May, Sonia Gandhi has already met Omar Abdullah, Sitaram Yechury and Bihar&rsquo;s chief minister Nitish Kumar in this regard.</p>

<p>The idea is that unity during presidential polls should be a precursor for a grand alliance against BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Congress is hopeful that many regional satraps who feel threatened by BJP&rsquo;s aggressive expansion may come around for a common front.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But the irony of the matter is that the idea of a combined front against BJP is an admission to the fact that Congress has reduced in stature and BJP has emerged as the new Congress.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


The name of Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, who has served as the governor of West Bengal in the past, is doing the rounds as a consensus candidate for the opposition

In a first, the Congress party has decided that it will not push for a Congress candidate for the presidential elections. The name of Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, who has served as the governor of West Bengal in the past, is doing the rounds as a consensus candidate for the opposition. Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, is pushing for opposition unity and it is for this reason that she is amenable to the idea of Gopalkrishna Gandhi being put up as the presidential candidate of a united opposition. Even some of the non-Congress opposition parties are sceptical to back a Congress candidate for the presidential election. Sources in the Congress confirmed that the reason why Sonia Gandhi is open to a non-Congress candidate is because she doesn’t want to give a walkover to BJP which has the numbers this time around for the President’s election. Though Meira Kumar’s name also came up for discussion but there weren’t many takers for the name. Many in the opposition are of the view that since BJP is going to propose an insider’s name for the President, Mahatma’s grandson may work as a glue for the entire opposition. Sources also said that even Mamata Banerjee is amenable to the idea of having Gopalkrishna Gandhi as the presidential candidate of a united opposition. Though a formal meeting between Mamata Banerjee and Sonia Gandhi is scheduled for the third week of May, Sonia Gandhi has already met Omar Abdullah, Sitaram Yechury and Bihar’s chief minister Nitish Kumar in this regard. The idea is that unity during presidential polls should be a precursor for a grand alliance against BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Congress is hopeful that many regional satraps who feel threatened by BJP’s aggressive expansion may come around for a common front. But the irony of the matter is that the idea of a combined front against BJP is an admission to the fact that Congress has reduced in stature and BJP has emerged as the new Congress. (WION)

Congress, others expected to back Gopalkrishna Gandhi as president

<p>Days after a video emerged of CRPF personnel getting heckled and kicked by protesters in Kashmir, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has shared a video of a man tied in front of the Army Jeep allegedly to avoid incidents of stone pelting.</p>

<p>The authenticity of the video could not be verified.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The former chief minister, while sharing the video on his twitter handle, said, &quot;This young man was TIED to the front of an army jeep to make sure no stones were thrown at the jeep? This is just so shocking!!!!&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This young man was TIED to the front of an army jeep to make sure no stones were thrown at the jeep? This is just so shocking!!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kashmir?src=hash">#Kashmir</a> <a href="https://t.co/bqs4YJOpJc">pic.twitter.com/bqs4YJOpJc</a></p>
&mdash; Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) <a href="https://twitter.com/abdullah_omar/status/852745953677148160">April 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Here&#39;s the video as well. A warning can be heard saying stone pelters will meet this fate. This requires an urgent inquiry &amp; follow up NOW!! <a href="https://t.co/qj1rnCVazn">pic.twitter.com/qj1rnCVazn</a></p>
&mdash; Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) <a href="https://twitter.com/abdullah_omar/status/852746966110945282">April 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Police has filed a FIR in the case of the CRPF jawan getting heckled and kicked on a complaint filed by the CRPF, ANI said.</p>

<p>(WION) &nbsp; &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


The video comes two days after another video of CRPF jawans getting kicked and heckled by protesters went viral

Days after a video emerged of CRPF personnel getting heckled and kicked by protesters in Kashmir, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has shared a video of a man tied in front of the Army Jeep allegedly to avoid incidents of stone pelting. The authenticity of the video could not be verified. The former chief minister, while sharing the video on his twitter handle, said, "This young man was TIED to the front of an army jeep to make sure no stones were thrown at the jeep? This is just so shocking!!!!" This young man was TIED to the front of an army jeep to make sure no stones were thrown at the jeep? This is just so shocking!!!! #Kashmir pic.twitter.com/bqs4YJOpJc — Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) April 14, 2017 × Here's the video as well. A warning can be heard saying stone pelters will meet this fate. This requires an urgent inquiry & follow up NOW!! pic.twitter.com/qj1rnCVazn — Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) April 14, 2017 × Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Police has filed a FIR in the case of the CRPF jawan getting heckled and kicked on a complaint filed by the CRPF, ANI said. (WION)

Watch: Man tied to Army jeep in Kashmir allegedly to avoid stone pelting

<p>On the 27th anniversary of the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits and other migrants, India&#39;s Jammu and Kashmir state assembly passed a resolution for the return of Kashmir Pandits to the valley on Thursday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Soon after the House met in the morning,&nbsp;former chief minister Omar Abdullah said, &quot;Today it has been 27 years since they (Kashmiri Pandits, some Sikhs and Muslims) left the valley and we should rise above politics and pass a resolution in the house for their comeback.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We should create circumstances for Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homes: Omar Abdullah in J&amp;K Assembly <a href="https://t.co/phjQYcJHCy">pic.twitter.com/phjQYcJHCy</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/821981162713120769">January 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Kashmiri Pandits are&nbsp;a brahmin community native to the valley, their numbers began to decline as a result of the 1948 riots and 1950 land reforms. The situation became critical in the 1990&#39;s for them&nbsp;as&nbsp;rising militancy in India&#39;s Kashmir region led to a mass migration of Kashmiri Pandits to other parts of India.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Thursday, once the question hour came to an end, minister for Parliamentary affairs&nbsp;Abdul Rehman Veeri approved the resolution and decided to introduce it in the House.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Speaker Kavinder Gupta moved the resolution which was passed by a voice vote.</p>

<p>(WION with inputs from PTI)</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Former CM Omar Abdullah told the House to rise above politics and pass the resolution for the Kashmiri Pandits to come back home

On the 27th anniversary of the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits and other migrants, India's Jammu and Kashmir state assembly passed a resolution for the return of Kashmir Pandits to the valley on Thursday. Soon after the House met in the morning, former chief minister Omar Abdullah said, "Today it has been 27 years since they (Kashmiri Pandits, some Sikhs and Muslims) left the valley and we should rise above politics and pass a resolution in the house for their comeback." We should create circumstances for Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homes: Omar Abdullah in J&K Assembly pic.twitter.com/phjQYcJHCy — ANI (@ANI_news) January 19, 2017 × The Kashmiri Pandits are a brahmin community native to the valley, their numbers began to decline as a result of the 1948 riots and 1950 land reforms. The situation became critical in the 1990's for them as rising militancy in India's Kashmir region led to a mass migration of Kashmiri Pandits to other parts of India. On Thursday, once the question hour came to an end, minister for Parliamentary affairs Abdul Rehman Veeri approved the resolution and decided to introduce it in the House. Speaker Kavinder Gupta moved the resolution which was passed by a voice vote. (WION with inputs from PTI)

India: Jammu and Kashmir assembly passes resolution for return of Kashmiri Pandits

Mystery over the killing of Burhan Wani deepened on Thursday when chief minister of India&#39;s northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti claimed that security forces had no inkling that Hizbul Mujahedeen commander was present in the hideout on the day of the encounter at Bamdoora village on July 8.<br />
<br />
Mehbooba&#39;s disclosure comes on the day when Hizbul released new video showcasing the new group minus Burhan in the jungles of south Kashmir.<br />
<br />
&quot;How can one know about every encounter? I have talked to the police and, army and they told me that there were three militants but they did not know who they were. I feel if they knew (Burhan was there), perhaps we would had looked for another chance. Like Omar Abdullah who knew about Afzal Guru hanging and prepared for it accordingly,&quot; Mehbooba told reporters on the sidelines of the Peoples Democratic Party foundation day celebrations.<br />
<br />
The opposition party National Conference (NC) reacted angrily describing Mehbooba&#39;s remarks as &quot;theatrical tendency to lie and deflect responsibility&quot;.<br />
<br />
&quot;It was ironic and ridiculous that the chief minister was terming Burhan Wani&#39;s killing a coincidence while simultaneously having released lakhs of rupees as reward money from the Chief Minister&#39;s secret fund for those who took part in the encounter&quot;, said Nasir Aslam Wani, National Conference provincial president.<br />
<br />
Abdullah said that Mufti was kept fully informed of Burhan&#39;s killing.&quot;I&#39;m going by the first on record statement by Jammu and Kashmir police to the media that the chief minister was kept fully informed of the killing. At no point in the first Jammu and Kashmir police media briefing was it ever suggested that they didn`t know who was trapped,&quot; Abdullah said in a series of tweets.<br />
<br />
Burhan was killed along with two of his associates by the security forces at Bamdoora village of Kokernag in south Kashmir&#39;s Anantnag district on July 8.<br />
<br />
&quot;There seems to be larger design behind such orchestrated eruptions to push Kashmiris into perpetual economic deprivation and social disorder. Kashmiris are made to pay a huge price by way of their life and livelihood in each such cycle of violence. It has been observed time and again that such hideous situations have only hurt the interests of Kashmiris the most,&quot; Mehbooba said.<br />
<br />
Chief minister called upon India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a renewed effort towards the resolution of Jammu and Kashmir&#39;s problems by engaging all the stakeholders.<br />
<br />
&quot;I am sure the country&#39;s political leadership will pick up the threads and carry forward the reconciliation and resolution process started by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003,&quot; she said and emphasised the need for taking concrete steps to win hearts and minds of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.<br />
<br />
Mehbooba&#39;s statement came on the day when Hizbul Mujhadeen released new video featuring heavily armed militants in army fatigues. It is the first video that has been released by Hizbul after the killing of Burhan Wani, who used social media to the hilt to send across his messages.<br />
<br />
(ANI)<br />
&nbsp;

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah rubbished chief minister Mehbooba Mufti's claim that she was not aware of Burhan Wani's hideout

Mystery over the killing of Burhan Wani deepened on Thursday when chief minister of India's northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti claimed that security forces had no inkling that Hizbul Mujahedeen commander was present in the hideout on the day of the encounter at Bamdoora village on July 8. Mehbooba's disclosure comes on the day when Hizbul released new video showcasing the new group minus Burhan in the jungles of south Kashmir. "How can one know about every encounter? I have talked to the police and, army and they told me that there were three militants but they did not know who they were. I feel if they knew (Burhan was there), perhaps we would had looked for another chance. Like Omar Abdullah who knew about Afzal Guru hanging and prepared for it accordingly," Mehbooba told reporters on the sidelines of the Peoples Democratic Party foundation day celebrations. The opposition party National Conference (NC) reacted angrily describing Mehbooba's remarks as "theatrical tendency to lie and deflect responsibility". "It was ironic and ridiculous that the chief minister was terming Burhan Wani's killing a coincidence while simultaneously having released lakhs of rupees as reward money from the Chief Minister's secret fund for those who took part in the encounter", said Nasir Aslam Wani, National Conference provincial president. Abdullah said that Mufti was kept fully informed of Burhan's killing."I'm going by the first on record statement by Jammu and Kashmir police to the media that the chief minister was kept fully informed of the killing. At no point in the first Jammu and Kashmir police media briefing was it ever suggested that they didn`t know who was trapped," Abdullah said in a series of tweets. Burhan was killed along with two of his associates by the security forces at Bamdoora village of Kokernag in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on July 8. "There seems to be larger design behind such orchestrated eruptions to push Kashmiris into perpetual economic deprivation and social disorder. Kashmiris are made to pay a huge price by way of their life and livelihood in each such cycle of violence. It has been observed time and again that such hideous situations have only hurt the interests of Kashmiris the most," Mehbooba said. Chief minister called upon India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a renewed effort towards the resolution of Jammu and Kashmir's problems by engaging all the stakeholders. "I am sure the country's political leadership will pick up the threads and carry forward the reconciliation and resolution process started by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003," she said and emphasised the need for taking concrete steps to win hearts and minds of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Mehbooba's statement came on the day when Hizbul Mujhadeen released new video featuring heavily armed militants in army fatigues. It is the first video that has been released by Hizbul after the killing of Burhan Wani, who used social media to the hilt to send across his messages. (ANI)

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti: Security forces had no inkling of Burhan Wani's whereabouts on day of killing

<br />
&nbsp;Accusing the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir&#39;s chief minister Mehbooba Mufti&#39;s government of failing to assess the situation after Hizbul commander Burhan Wani&#39;s killing, National conference leader Omar Abdullah today said the PDP-BJP combine had &quot;forgotten&quot; the lessons of 2008 and 2010 when the Valley witnessed large scale protests.<br />
<br />
The former chief minister also charged that Mehbooba Mufti was &quot;shamelessly&quot; trying to convey message of normalcy in the state hit by violence.<br />
<br />
&quot;I will not go into whether the situation is worse or not than 2008 or 2010. That is something you people have to decide. However, I feel that unfortunately, the lessons which we learnt in 2008 and 2010, the present government has forgotten them for some reasons,&quot; Omar told reporters here.<br />
<br />
Abdullah was speaking to media after paying tributes to the martyrs of 1931 at Martyrs graveyard in Khawaja Bazar in downtown Srinagar.<br />
<br />
Omar, who is the working president of the opposition National Conference (NC), said either the government&#39;s assessment of the situation after Wani&#39;s killing was wrong or their preparations were not right.<br />
<br />
&quot;Either the present government exhibited negligence in assessing the situation after Burhan&#39;s killing or they did not prepare for the situation. Some reason out of the two is true that either their assessment was wrong or their preparations were not right.So, it is the responsibility of the government to restore normalcy,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
The NC leader said it was the time to reach out to the Valley with a healing touch and requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send specialist doctors to the Valley for treating the injured.<br />
<br />
&quot;Hon (Honourable) @narendramodi ji. After Kerala fire you carried a plane load of burn specialists with you.Please send eye/trauma specialists to Kashmir,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
&quot;Please don&#39;t let the fact that these youngsters people have been injured in protests stop us from giving the best care possible.Thank you jenab,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
The NC leader also appealed to the Centre to order the forces to show restraint while dealing with the protests.<br />
<br />
&quot;I appeal the Centre to order the forces for exercising restraint and if people and forces can be ferried in planes, then what is the problem in getting medicine here.The news about dearth of emergency medicine is coming out of the hospitals.I request them to bring medicines and other such things in the planes in which forces are being brought.<br />
<br />
&quot;Our doctors must be tired now, how many hours can they work? Our operation theatres are overflowing, so I appeal them that normalcy cannot be restored by ferrying people in buses, we need some concrete steps like restraint and immediate assistance to hospitals,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
The former chief minister said he conveyed to home minister Rajnath Singh, who called him on Monday, that his party&#39;s political role to restore normalcy in the Valley would only start once the killings are stopped.<br />
<br />
&quot;I told the home minister that whatever our role would be in restoring normalcy, we would do that, but before that the spate of killings has to be stopped.Same statement of restraint has come from the UN secretary general as well.<br />
<br />
&quot;I told him that once there is restraint and killings stop, then we will lend our hand in playing a political role to create normalcy, but if anyone has played a role for the situation to reach this point, it is the present government and the biggest responsibility for restoring normalcy is of the government as well,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
Omar also said that normalcy cannot be restored by having the forces &quot;attack&quot; ambulances and the patients inside the hospitals.<br />
<br />
&quot;I told the home minister that the visual images that we get from social media or other ways which show that ambulances are attacked, patients are attacked in hospitals, the situation will not get better by such things but would rather get worse,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
He said the violence and the spate of killings was now shifting to other areas of the Valley and the government, rather than trying to restore normalcy, was allegedly staging a drama to give a semblance of normalcy.<br />
<br />
&quot;Every day there is news about killing of people from new areas. When it started, it was in south Kashmir only. Yesterday, such news came from Kupwara in north Kashmir. It is shameful that rather than using the police administration to restore peace, you saw in the morning how people were ferried here in police buses just to show to the chief minister that people had attended. While coming here, I was surprised to see people in police buses leaving the spot,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
Omar said if the government feels the need to stage a &quot;drama of normalcy&quot;, then they cannot restore normalcy in the Valley.<br />
<br />
&quot;If in this situation, these people feel the need to stage a drama and if they do not learn even in such a situation and just to create an atmosphere of normalcy, they brought people in civil to the function, then, I feel, how can this government restore normalcy if they want to keep themselves oblivious of the ground realities,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
Later on Twitter, the NC leader charged that the government had misplaced priorities and was shamelessly trying to convey message of normalcy.<br />
<br />
&quot;Brazen shamelessness of the @MehboobaMufti #BJPDP Govt, ferrying people in police buses to state function to convey normalcy has returned,&quot; Omar wrote on Twitter.<br />
<br />
The former chief minister said more than 30 people have died and all Mehbooba and her party want to do is put up party flags and get police to ferry people to her function.<br />
<br />
Misplaced priorities that put theatrics and falsified public participation over and above the ground realities so as to befool bosses in Delhi, Omar charged.<br />
<br />
The NC working president said the government should have rather focused on restoring calm in the Valley.<br />
<br />
&quot;Shameless Government should have been focused on restoring calm and on helping our doctors who are struggling to treat 1200+ injured people,&quot; he said.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
(PTI)

He accused the ruling coalition government of forgetting the lessons of 2008 and 2010 when the Valley witnessed large scale protests

Accusing the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir's chief minister Mehbooba Mufti's government of failing to assess the situation after Hizbul commander Burhan Wani's killing, National conference leader Omar Abdullah today said the PDP-BJP combine had "forgotten" the lessons of 2008 and 2010 when the Valley witnessed large scale protests. The former chief minister also charged that Mehbooba Mufti was "shamelessly" trying to convey message of normalcy in the state hit by violence. "I will not go into whether the situation is worse or not than 2008 or 2010. That is something you people have to decide. However, I feel that unfortunately, the lessons which we learnt in 2008 and 2010, the present government has forgotten them for some reasons," Omar told reporters here. Abdullah was speaking to media after paying tributes to the martyrs of 1931 at Martyrs graveyard in Khawaja Bazar in downtown Srinagar. Omar, who is the working president of the opposition National Conference (NC), said either the government's assessment of the situation after Wani's killing was wrong or their preparations were not right. "Either the present government exhibited negligence in assessing the situation after Burhan's killing or they did not prepare for the situation. Some reason out of the two is true that either their assessment was wrong or their preparations were not right.So, it is the responsibility of the government to restore normalcy," he said. The NC leader said it was the time to reach out to the Valley with a healing touch and requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send specialist doctors to the Valley for treating the injured. "Hon (Honourable) @narendramodi ji. After Kerala fire you carried a plane load of burn specialists with you.Please send eye/trauma specialists to Kashmir," he said. "Please don't let the fact that these youngsters people have been injured in protests stop us from giving the best care possible.Thank you jenab," he said. The NC leader also appealed to the Centre to order the forces to show restraint while dealing with the protests. "I appeal the Centre to order the forces for exercising restraint and if people and forces can be ferried in planes, then what is the problem in getting medicine here.The news about dearth of emergency medicine is coming out of the hospitals.I request them to bring medicines and other such things in the planes in which forces are being brought. "Our doctors must be tired now, how many hours can they work? Our operation theatres are overflowing, so I appeal them that normalcy cannot be restored by ferrying people in buses, we need some concrete steps like restraint and immediate assistance to hospitals," he said. The former chief minister said he conveyed to home minister Rajnath Singh, who called him on Monday, that his party's political role to restore normalcy in the Valley would only start once the killings are stopped. "I told the home minister that whatever our role would be in restoring normalcy, we would do that, but before that the spate of killings has to be stopped.Same statement of restraint has come from the UN secretary general as well. "I told him that once there is restraint and killings stop, then we will lend our hand in playing a political role to create normalcy, but if anyone has played a role for the situation to reach this point, it is the present government and the biggest responsibility for restoring normalcy is of the government as well," he said. Omar also said that normalcy cannot be restored by having the forces "attack" ambulances and the patients inside the hospitals. "I told the home minister that the visual images that we get from social media or other ways which show that ambulances are attacked, patients are attacked in hospitals, the situation will not get better by such things but would rather get worse," he said. He said the violence and the spate of killings was now shifting to other areas of the Valley and the government, rather than trying to restore normalcy, was allegedly staging a drama to give a semblance of normalcy. "Every day there is news about killing of people from new areas. When it started, it was in south Kashmir only. Yesterday, such news came from Kupwara in north Kashmir. It is shameful that rather than using the police administration to restore peace, you saw in the morning how people were ferried here in police buses just to show to the chief minister that people had attended. While coming here, I was surprised to see people in police buses leaving the spot," he said. Omar said if the government feels the need to stage a "drama of normalcy", then they cannot restore normalcy in the Valley. "If in this situation, these people feel the need to stage a drama and if they do not learn even in such a situation and just to create an atmosphere of normalcy, they brought people in civil to the function, then, I feel, how can this government restore normalcy if they want to keep themselves oblivious of the ground realities," he said. Later on Twitter, the NC leader charged that the government had misplaced priorities and was shamelessly trying to convey message of normalcy. "Brazen shamelessness of the @MehboobaMufti #BJPDP Govt, ferrying people in police buses to state function to convey normalcy has returned," Omar wrote on Twitter. The former chief minister said more than 30 people have died and all Mehbooba and her party want to do is put up party flags and get police to ferry people to her function. Misplaced priorities that put theatrics and falsified public participation over and above the ground realities so as to befool bosses in Delhi, Omar charged. The NC working president said the government should have rather focused on restoring calm in the Valley. "Shameless Government should have been focused on restoring calm and on helping our doctors who are struggling to treat 1200+ injured people," he said. (PTI)

Former Jammu and kashmir chief minister accuses current CM of failing to assess Kashmir situation

A day after claiming that slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani had no links to militancy, former chief minister of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, today asserted that Wani had become the new &#39;icon&#39; for the frustrated and disaffected youth in the Valley.<br />
<br />
&quot;After many years I hear slogans for &quot;Azadi&quot; resonate from the mosque in my uptown Srinagar locality. Kashmir&#39;s disaffected got a new icon. Mark my words - Burhan&#39;s ability to recruit in to militancy from the grave will far outstrip anything he could have done on social media,&quot; Omar said in a series of tweets.<br />
<br />
Earlier, stating that National Conference Party, a political party in Jammu and Kashmir, had always maintained that a political problem needs a political solution, Omar had said that Burhan was not the first to pick up the gun and would not be the last.<br />
<br />
&quot;For all Burhan&#39;s social media activity I don&#39;t recall any militancy incident attributed to him while I was in office. Not sure after that,&quot; he tweeted. Meanwhile, All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an alliance of 26 political, social and religious organisation as a political front to the cause of Kashmiri independence,&nbsp;chairman, Syed Ali Geelani, and separatist leader Asiya Andrabi have called for a complete state-wide shutdown today and appealed to the people to participate in Wani&#39;s funeral prayers in large numbers.<br />
<br />
Geelani also appealed to the people to hold funeral prayers in-absentia for Wani at their respective places for those who could not reach Tral. The Internet-savvy Kashmiri militant was reportedly a resident of Dadsara village in south Kashmir&#39;s Tral area.<br />
<br />
He had left home in 2010 - days before he was to take his Class 10 examination to join the region&#39;s front-line indigenous militant outfit, Hizbul Mujahideen.<br />
<br />
He soon rose to become its district commander and figured in the list of most wanted militants.<br />
<br />
Wani featured in videos circulated on Facebook and WhatsApp aimed at recruiting young Kashmiri men for terror. Last month, Wani released a video warning of attacks on separate colonies for Sainiks and Kashmiri Pandits if they are set up in the Kashmir Valley.<br />
<br />
The major part of the video message, however, was directed at the Jammu and Kashmir Police warning them of more attacks.<br />
<br />
Wani carried a bounty of Indian Rupees 1 million (about $14,888) on his head.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Hizbul Mujahideen is a Kashmiri separatist group whose leader Syed Salahuddin is based in Pakistan.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Violence in Kashmir has spiked against a backdrop of rising social tension and separatist sentiment in the Muslim-majority region, which for decades has been at the centre of a strategic tussle between India and Pakistan.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
India accuses Pakistan of training and arming the rebels in the portion it controls and sending them to the Indian side, a claim its neighbour denies.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
(Agencies)&nbsp;

Wani had featured in videos circulated on Facebook and WhatsApp aimed at recruiting young Kashmiri men for terror

A day after claiming that slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani had no links to militancy, former chief minister of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, today asserted that Wani had become the new 'icon' for the frustrated and disaffected youth in the Valley. "After many years I hear slogans for "Azadi" resonate from the mosque in my uptown Srinagar locality. Kashmir's disaffected got a new icon. Mark my words - Burhan's ability to recruit in to militancy from the grave will far outstrip anything he could have done on social media," Omar said in a series of tweets. Earlier, stating that National Conference Party, a political party in Jammu and Kashmir, had always maintained that a political problem needs a political solution, Omar had said that Burhan was not the first to pick up the gun and would not be the last. "For all Burhan's social media activity I don't recall any militancy incident attributed to him while I was in office. Not sure after that," he tweeted. Meanwhile, All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an alliance of 26 political, social and religious organisation as a political front to the cause of Kashmiri independence, chairman, Syed Ali Geelani, and separatist leader Asiya Andrabi have called for a complete state-wide shutdown today and appealed to the people to participate in Wani's funeral prayers in large numbers. Geelani also appealed to the people to hold funeral prayers in-absentia for Wani at their respective places for those who could not reach Tral. The Internet-savvy Kashmiri militant was reportedly a resident of Dadsara village in south Kashmir's Tral area. He had left home in 2010 - days before he was to take his Class 10 examination to join the region's front-line indigenous militant outfit, Hizbul Mujahideen. He soon rose to become its district commander and figured in the list of most wanted militants. Wani featured in videos circulated on Facebook and WhatsApp aimed at recruiting young Kashmiri men for terror. Last month, Wani released a video warning of attacks on separate colonies for Sainiks and Kashmiri Pandits if they are set up in the Kashmir Valley. The major part of the video message, however, was directed at the Jammu and Kashmir Police warning them of more attacks. Wani carried a bounty of Indian Rupees 1 million (about $14,888) on his head. Hizbul Mujahideen is a Kashmiri separatist group whose leader Syed Salahuddin is based in Pakistan. Violence in Kashmir has spiked against a backdrop of rising social tension and separatist sentiment in the Muslim-majority region, which for decades has been at the centre of a strategic tussle between India and Pakistan. India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over Kashmir, which they both claim in full but rule in part. India accuses Pakistan of training and arming the rebels in the portion it controls and sending them to the Indian side, a claim its neighbour denies. (Agencies)

Burhan Wani an 'icon' for Kashmir's disaffected: Former Jammu and Kashmir CM

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