Release of terrorists for Rubaiya Sayeed, hijacked IC-814 plane responsible for J&K terror: Farooq

Jammu Tawi, Sept 19: NC chief Farooq Abdullah on Thursday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the release of terrorists in exchange for Rubaiya Sayeed in 1989 and Indian Airlines plane in Afghanistan in 1999 are responsible for the growth of terrorism in the region.

Abdullah was replying to PM Modi's speech in an election rally at Srinagar earlier in the day accusing the National Conference (NC), Congress and People's Democratic Party (PDP) for “destruction” of Jammu and Kashmir.

The former J&K chief minister said the people should be thankful that the NC was there in 1947 at the time of Partition otherwise the Muslim majority state would have become a part of Pakistan.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an election rally in Udhampur east in support of the party candidate Sunil Verma, the NC president also opposed the ‘one nation, one election' plan of the BJP-led government and accused the party of spreading hatred in the country.

Asked about the statement of the prime minister in Srinagar accusing the three families – NC, Congress and PDP – for destroying Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah asked who released hardcore terrorists at Kandahar, Afghanistan in December 1999 in exchange for the hijacked 814 Indian Airlines plane and for abducted Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of the then home minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, in 1989.

Rubaiya is the sister of PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.

“Who put pressure when I told them that don't do it (release the terrorists in both cases)? The same terrorists who were released then are running terrorism in J&K from Pakistan. I had told at that time that they will be responsible for our destruction but nobody listened and now they are blaming us – Congress and NC,” Abdullah said.

He said the people should be thankful that the NC was there in J&K during partition. “Had we not been there, J&K would have become a part of Pakistan because it was a Muslim majority state. Instead, we preferred the path of Gandhi-Nehru to become part of India where all of its citizens — Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs or Buddhists — are equals.”

Abdullah said they are claiming that terrorism is over but the ground situation shows that it has increased in otherwise peaceful Jammu region.

“They have kept open the door of hatred and we have to shut it down. (Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi is saying we have to shut the shop of hatred and open the shops of love. I am saying that we have to sink the vehicle of hatred and flag off the vehicle of love throughout the country,” he said.

“We are the crown of India and that new dawn (against hatred) will emerge from here,” the NC leader said, exuding confidence of winning the upcoming assembly elections to form the next government in Jammu and Kashmir.