SRINAGAR: “We will gain the pre1953 position of the “riyasat” within one year of coming to power, promised National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Thursday while addressing a public meeting at Gandherbal in his constituency, hours before campaigning for the third phase of polling ended. The former chief minister pays a visit to Gandherbal, “the CM’s constituency,”’ after nine years the crowd for his public meeting is big given today’s circumstances in the Valley, but far less than that in 1989, when he had gone seeking their votes. The buses and trucks lined up around the public ground confirm that majority of the people at the ‘jalsa’ are from outside Kangan. Sonmarg, Srinagar, Bandiporaete. “The people of Gandherbal are marking their protest,” says a group of young men. The locals absence and the closed shops are the result of a call by “the Hurriyat” last evening warning them against at tending Farooq’s meeting, explain a group of elders. “You must understand that they (Hurriyat) see Farooq, and only Farooq, as a threat….why didn’t they issue a warning yesterday (Wednesday) when minister of state for home and Janata Dal leader Maqbool Dar visited the area?….Isn’t it obvious that it is the National Conference alone who can represent us,” comments Muhammad Yusuf. Many Kashmiris appear to be angry with Farooq Abdullah. The mention of “Dr, Sahib” provokes questions about his political integrity. “Why did he run away to London?” “How could he live in comfort when life for us here had become hell?” Be it Gandherbal, or ChararcSharief or Badgam or the city, the queries are similar. The irony, however, is that the same Kashmiris and many others see the National conference and its chief as their only hope when it comes to the crunch of “doing away with New Delhi’s governance.” With polling two days away, many Kashmiris realize that more than anything else, these elections will bring an end to New Delhi’s rule. Despite the presence of national parties, the Congress and the Janata Dal and a keen contest being anticipated in a number of constituencies, many Kashmiris see Abdullah’s National Conference ushering in “Jammu and Kashmir government” after seven years. In Gandherbal, he adds to their hope.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 25, 1996
