“This will bring basic democracy”: NC chief Farooq Abdullah on Panchayat elections in J&K

Jammu [India], May 2 (ANI): National Conference (NC) chief Farooq Abdullah on Monday said that the upcoming Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir will usher in bringing basic democracy.

“It’s good at least something is being done, Panchayat elections will be conducted. Pradhans will be elected and that will bring basic democracy,” Abdullah said in a press briefing here.

Lashing out at the Centre, the former Chief Minister of J-K said that he will fight against them every election.

“We will fight every election but we won’t beg in front of them [Centre] that they should conduct elections,” he said.

Reacting to the Poonch terror attack, the NC chief claimed that Article 370 is the reason behind the rise of terrorism in the Union Territory.

Training his guns at the Centre, he said, “Did terrorism ever leave Jammu and Kashmir? They said by abrogating Article 370, terrorism would be eradicated. Article 370 is behind rising terrorism. Recently five brave soldiers were killed in a terror attack. Didn’t they have a family? They were sent in a non-bulletproof vehicle. What else will happen except death.”

Earlier in April, Abdullah urged that “innocent people” should not be arrested during the investigation of the Poonch terror attack in which five soldiers were killed.

He was speaking to the reporters after offering Namaz at the Hazratbal Mosque in Srinagar on the occasion of Eid-Ul-Fitr.

“Now that the investigation has started regarding the Poonch terror attack, innocents should not be arrested. It should be taken special care of. Many innocents are arrested and then tortured. This is the wrong method,” Farooq Abdullah said.

“I don’t want the innocent people to suffer,” he stressed.

On April 20, an Army vehicle passing Bhimber Gali and Poonch in the Rajouri sector was fired upon by unidentified terrorists, through grenades, which lead to the death of five soldiers.