Omar Abdullah denies political reasons for his Delhi visit

Omar Abdullah’s flight to New Delhi on May 25, his first visit since August 5, 2019, has triggered speculations of New Delhi’s fresh political overtures to unionist politicians in Kashmir.

SRINAGAR: Former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday clarified there was nothing political about his visit to Delhi and is also not linked to the rumors about formation of political advisory council in the Union Territory.

He also clarified that the exchange of contrarian political thoughts on prevailing situation in Kashmir, by his two colleagues Tanvir Sadiq and Ruhullah Mehdi on twitter are their personal opinions and don’t change the stand of NC, regarding the happenings of August 5, taken in and outside the Supreme Court.

Abdullah’s flight to New Delhi on May 25, his first visit since August 5, 2019, has triggered speculations of New Delhi’s fresh political overtures to unionist politicians in Kashmir.

The visit came at a time, when rumors are rife about formation of advisory council in the Union Territory, comprising of politicians from recently formed J&K Apni Party. JKAP chief Altaf Bukhari, who is also in Delhi, hasn’t dispelled the rumors either but conveniently called it a ‘good joke.’

“I’m in Delhi for the 1 ^sttime since 3 ^rdAugust 2019. There is nothing political about my visit, whether linked to the matter above or the political advisory council reportedly being formed. I needed a change of scene & some medical followups & that’s why I’m here,” said Abdullah on twitter.

Earlier, Sadiq and Mehdi exchanged contrary views on situation in Kashmir, which many saw as cracks within the grand old party of Kashmir.

Mehdi took to twitter to retort his colleague Sadiq, who in an opinion piece in a local newspaper had suggested a way forward from the ongoing political stalemate in J&K and sought reconciliation and reaching to the people.

“As a starting point for this, let all political prisoners arrested post August 5, be released before Eid, revisit the domicile law and lift all curbs on the internet and telecommunications,” Sadiq wrote on twitter, adding, ‘let the end of the pandemic and the beginning of the political process be run along parallel lines. Kashmir, its people and country needs it,” Sadiq wrote in the tailpiece of his column.

Mehdi in response to his party colleague wrote, “…Our hands aren’t tied. Our thoughts aren’t tied. If the objective is not only elections. We are only in a political process. Asking them to let us start means doing only what thet want us to do.” He further wrote in a string of tweets, "I am currently under house detention and I am honestky ready to be taken to a prison after what I say. But I would never ask them to LET us. When you ask them to let us, it will naturally be on their terms."

The three-time legislator from central Kashmir’s Budgam told ET that any engagement with New Delhi or electoral politics has to start from the position of August 4, 2019.

Further explaining his position, Mehdi told ET, “Nobody stops us from expressing opinion. We can say what we believe in. And I believe that any electoral process or engagement with New Delhi has to start from the position of August 3 or 4, 2019,” Mehdi told ET, clarifying that this was his personal stand and not of his party. Mehdi also edited his twitter profile, removing the ‘NC chief spokesperson’ tag from there.

Regarding this exchange on twitter, Abdullah, said these were shades of opinions within within a family. “we are a democratic party & we value all shades of opinion within our wider family though sometimes it’s better to discuss them amongst ourselves before we decide to make them public. I’ve burnt my hands a few times by not following my own advice."