PDP,forces wanted Kashmiri youth to return as ‘surrendered militants’, says Omar

In a scathing attack, the J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Thursday said the opposition Peoples Democratic Party had “plans” to stigmatize youth who had crossed the Line of Control and “exploit them for political dividends after branding them as surrendered militants.” 
He said the plan envisaged these youth to be “forced to surrender in army camps in front of cameras, had my government not persisted and implemented the rehabilitation policy against all odds.”
Addressing workers’ meeting in this assembly segment in south Kashmir, Omar said “this is precisely why the PDP voted against the NC-backed Rehabilitation Resolution in the State Assembly with complete lack of concern for these youngsters and their families.” 
Omar, who is the working president of National Conference, said both PDP as well as certain sections of the security forces’ leadership were opposed to the idea of the Rehabilitation Policy. “Both Mufti Sayeed and some elements in the Security Forces wanted these young men to come with weapons and surrender at Army Camps near the LoC after which pictures would be taken of them and they would be branded as surrendered militants in press statements, thus stigmatizing them in the society and making them vulnerable to be exploited and used for political dividends,” he alleged. “This was unacceptable to National Conference and I ensured that these youth come back with utmost dignity and today out of the nearly 400 youth who have returned, around 16 youth belong to Wachi Constituency alone. That is actual and transformational political change. What our opponents 
are parroting about is deception and half-truths.”
Omar said, “Had these youth returned during the PDP tenure, the PDP would have ensured that they bargain with these youngsters on their freedom and ask them for political favors in return of a life of dignity. Thank God they were saved from humiliation.”
The Chief Minister said the PDP was “obsessed with opposing every people-friendly initiative (of NC) due to their petty political and partisan considerations.”
“PDP opposed the creation of Shopian District when GhulamNabi Azad was the Chief Minister. They opposed the creation of Ganderbal, Bandipora and Kulgam districts as well. They opposed the Rehabilitation Policy for our youth who wanted to come back from across the LoC. Then, when we announced another historic ‘decentralization of power’ exercise in the shape of New Administrative Units; the PDP opposed that also by spreading lies and canards through their propagandists who masquerade as experts,” Omar said. “Once we took out a formal order announcing the creation of these units, they called this as mere formal order on paper. Today the biggest answer in the face of this propaganda by PDP is that just a few days back we have started the process of manning and making functional every single New Administrative Unit in the State and by September my Government will make every New Administrative Unit in J&K fully functional.”
Omar said Mufti as Chief Minister started distributing SRO-43 cheques that were processed during the government led by Dr. Farooq Abdullah to bask in self-projection. “Mufti Sayeed after becoming the Chief Minister started handing out cheques of relief and compensation that were normally handed over to deserving people by Deputy Commissioners and other concerned officers. He did this for cameras and created the ‘healing touch myth’ after taking pictures with awardees of SRO-43 and humiliating them in the process by lifting the veil of secrecy over such affairs. While PDP’s Machiavellian political strategies might have helped them in the short-term and harmed us in the short-term to, I pray that we are never afflicted with this disease of exploiting the misery and agony of people for photo-ops and media coverage.”
Omar said the Government would look into some possible relief measures for those under debt of Kisan Credit Cards.