Srinagar: National Conference (NC) president and the head of People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), Farooq Abdullah, on Thursday trained his guns at Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha, asking him to release all those detained recently if the government wants democracy to survive in Jammu and Kashmir.
Farooq also demanded immediate restoration of 4G internet services, stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about 5G but people of J&K are craving for high-speed internet services.
Talking to reporters after chairing a meeting of PAGD leaders at his Gupkar residence, Farooq said that if the LG-led administration and the Government of India want democracy to survive in J&K, all those detained recently should be released immediately.
“Plus, I urge the LG administration and the Centre to ensure restoration of 4G internet services as soon as possible. Prime Minister is talking about 5G but we don’t even have 4G services in J&K. Besides, I urge the LG-led administration to provide uninterrupted power and supply to people of J&K as people have suffered for this since ages,” Farooq said.
Asked whether PAGD would stay or break now that the District Development Council (DDC) polls are over, Farooq said: “We are here to stay and nobody should have any doubt in it.”
Awami National Conference vice-president Muzaffar Shah echoed that, “PAGD will absolutely stay from here as well”.
Speaking on the occasion, PAGD leader and Peoples Conference chairman, Sajad Lone, expressed gratitude to those who voted in the recently concluded DDC polls and also to those who did not vote for the Alliance candidates.
He, however, said that government was acting in a partisan manner and is confining people either to houses or to police stations. “It (government) should desist from this and not humiliate the great verdict of DDC polls,” Lone said. “History is witness that those who tried to humiliate the peoples’ verdict ended up in a disaster. Under no circumstances should democracy be tinkered with.”
Lone said that ‘preventive detentions’ is a new trend. “What is the logic of this? We have had most peaceful DDC polls where there was not even a single violence-related incident. In the last three decades, we have seen so much violence. We condemn these preventive detentions and with all power we have, we demand the immediate release of all those detained,” Lone said. (KNO)
