17 May 2002
FAROOQ ABDULLAH AND SON AT
DIFFERENT WAVE LENGTHS
From Jal Khambata
NEW
DELHI: The first father and son of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday struck
contrary notes with their perceptions at variance on the issue of the
Assembly elections due in October in the state.
Outside
Parliament, father Farooq Abdullah, the chief minister, vowed that
terrorist attack cannot deter him from holding the Assembly elections
in October while his son Omar Abdullah, the Minister of State for
External Affairs who will be now heading the National Conference,
hinted in the Lok Sabha during debate on the Jammu killings of
Tuesday that the polls may have to be postponed.
"The
Assembly elections are not more important than the nation and the
national security" Omar affirmed, asserting that "our party
will not put elections ahead of the nation's interests."
Pointing
out that terrorist acts will naturally have the serious impact on the
elections, Omar Abdullah said: "People will not be able to
participate" in the polling in such circumstances.
Farooq
Abdullah, who remained stuck to the Lok Sabha gallery throughout the
nearly 7-hour long debate on the Jammu killing, appeared dejected as
he wanted some action plan to be announced by the Government at the
end and not yet another rhetoric of resolve by the House.
Omar
Abdullah struck an emotional scene in the House describing how the
terrorists had attacked a soldier's house on Tuesday. The soldier is
away on the border while his wife was dressing up children, a son and
two daughters, for school when the terrorists struck. She asked son
to hide under bed and told daughters to lock up themselves in the
bathroom. The terrorists gunned her down and seeing that her
daughters rushed out only to fell to the bullets.
"What
do we tell the soldiers who are on the borders? That you fight for us
but we don't know what happens to your family," Omar said,
pointing out that the Jammu killings were "no less grievous than
the attack on Parliament House as it had serious implication on the
morale of the soldiers on the borders" and hence this attack
cannot go unchallenged.
Chiding the international community
for giving only "lip service" and lecturing India to be
patient, have restrain and nothing more, Omar said even the dispatch
of the MPs' delegations to various capitals of the countries did not
enthuse them to slap sanctions or punish the country in question who
is openly promoting terrorism.
"Pakistan got nothing but
benefits" by way of increased market penetration and the World
Bank gave US $500 million just a day after the Jammu terrorist
attack," Omar said, adding that India should tell all these
countries advising restraint tha "thank you very much, take back
support as we do not want your support since we have fought all our
battles in life alone" and that "we will now deal with
(these terrorist attacks) ourselves."
Omar also put the
United States in the accused box, quoting none else but its own
President George Bush telling the world after the September 11 attack
in New York: "If you are not with us, you are with terrorists."
His message was clear: By siding with Pakistan and not punishing it
despite all the evidence India has been providing, the US is clearly
with terrorists.
Stating on behalf of the Union Government,
Omar said it will explore all options and take the decision in the
interest of the nation as it recognises that the situation is
important.
Pointing out that he is not an advocate of military
solution, Omar said he would all the same debunk the fears of the
nuclear holocaust being expressed if there is ultimately a war. The
size of India itself will deter Pakistan but "if Pakistan is
stupid enough to consider use of Nuclear weapons" it may damage
parts of India but Pakistan will be completely wiped out, Omar added.
END