Srinagar: The opposition Peoples Democratic Party held a protest rally in Srinagar on Tuesday against Farooq Abdullah remarks that “Kashmiris are maha chor.”
The PDP activists, led by their leader Khursheed Alam, marched through Lal Chowk in Srinagar, demanding apology from Farooq. The PDP activists set the effigy of Farooq Abdullah on fire near Regal Chowk Srinagar while police stopped them from moving towards City Centre Lal Chowk.
According to CNS, scores of People’s Democratic Party activists led by Khursheed Alam took out a march against Farooq Abdullah’s remarks that Kashmir’s are ‘mahachor’. The party activists raised slogans like, ‘shame to Farooq, shame to NC’, were stopped by police near Regal Chowk shortly after they set the effigy of Farooq Abdullah on fire.
Talking to reporters, PDP leader Muhammad Khursheed Alam said that NC is corrupt to the core. “How can the National Conference be so shameless? They are patronizing corruption in the State and they are calling Kashmiris thieves. It is outright shamelessness,” he said that it is irony that Farooq Abdullah is insulting those people who voted him and his party to power.
Khursheed Alam said the National Conference first “labeled the Kashmir youth as drug addicts and stone pelters” and now their leader has “ridiculed” Kashmiris by calling them thieves. He said Abdullah’s statement is an insult to Kashmiris and he should apologize for his remarks.
Another PDP leader Yasir Reshi said, “Who is the big thief? You should turn the pages of history and you will find how NC first looted Kashmiris in the name of a movement and now it continues to pile up the sufferings of people,” he said.
Besides Alam and Reshi other leaders who were part of the march included Haji Parvez and Abdul Hamid Kosheen.
Farooq Abdullah, who is also a Union Minister, had made the reported remark over alleged pilferage of electricity by people in Kashmir who, he said, by-passed electric meters to avoid payments to the fund-starved State electricity department.
“Kashmiri Chor Nahi, Maha Chor Hai (Kashmiris are not just thieves, they are the biggest thieves),” Abdullah had reportedly said at a function in New Delhi while releasing the ‘citizens report on state of renewable energy.” (CNS)