National Conference firm on autonomy

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR, JUNE 24. The ongoing debate on the report of the State Autonomy Committee (SAC) continued to be dominated by the ruling National Conference (NC) stand reiterating that it would not give up the demand for autonomy under any circumstances. Its leaders alleged that both India and Pakistan were working against the NC and that ``security forces were being used as a political tool in the State.''

The NC's PWD Minister, Mr. Ali Mohammad Sagar, warned the Centre of dangerous consequences incase the demand for greater autonomy was not conceded and if the conspiracies against the NC were not put to an end. Coming down heavily on successive Governments in Delhi, Mr. Sagar said that it was Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah who acceded to secular India but the gesture was responded with ``arrests, humiliation and other sinister plans.'' ``We should not make autonomy an issue of Muslim versus Hindu and Buddhist versus Muslim but it is the question of fulfilling constitutional commitments '' Mr. Sagar said.

The Shia leader, Moulvi Iftikhar Ansari, said that the Hurriyat Conference was a creation of Delhi. ``Delhi gave birth to Hurriyat and those who are talking about dialogue with them, are only doing so to groom them against us'' he said. The Moulvi challenged Hurriyat's representative character to talk on behalf of Kashmiris.

The Industries Minister, Dr. Mustafa Kamal, called for an end to ``anti-people policies of security forces'' so that people live peacefully. He said that it was time for the Centre to restore the constitutional position the State enjoyed before 1953 which, he said was the only solution.

The Health Minister, Mian Altaf Ahmed, said that only Mr. Abdullah was capable of running the State. The people have given mandate to him on autonomy in 1996 and only after the Centre gave assurances the NC fought the elections, he said.

The Doda MLA, Mr. Khalid Suhrawardy, said that the NC wanted ``peace in the State and BJP wants pieces of the State by talking about trifurcation.''

Mr. Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami of the CPI (M) called upon both India and Pakistan to shun the path of confrontation and find a peaceful solution to the problems. ``We have to win this (autonomy) battle for the people and the future of India'' he observed.

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