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