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Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Omar Adbullah defended his father Dr Farooq Abdullah's decision to go to London for a month and a half long holiday.
"If he had remained here he would have made a few statements which may not have been to the liking of some people. Then there would have been allegations that Dr Abdullah is trying to sabotage the peace process. Now that he has gone on a holiday people are saying that he left the state when it was in turmoil. I think he decided that the best option for him under the prevailing circumstances was to go on holiday and keep out of controversy," Omar told rediff.com in an exclusive interview.
While the father is away, the son would be flying to Srinagar for almost a fortnight and would be available to the state administration for any assistance. Some political observers feel that Farooq is giving a chance to his son to handle the state administration.
When asked if the All Parties Hurriyat Conference is hoping to strike some deal with the government by withdrawing its agitations for a month and a half in the valley, the young Abdullah said that if they were hoping for one they would not get any.
"I think the Hurriyat people have realised that they have to prove to the people that they are capable of representing them and that is why they are keen to contest elections. They are the only ones whose representative character is to be tested. They also realise that they are being exposed. The people of the valley have come to know of their true colours. They were under pressure. They think that they are the only ones who can represent the people of J&K in the negotiations if there were to be triparte talks. They are mistaken. They must contest elections and prove that they can represent the people. There are others who can also represent the people, may be even better than them," he said.
Talking about the forthcoming visit of General Pervez Musharraf to India, Abdullah said that Musharraf has been making the right kind of noises. "If you look at some of his statements they are revealing. The general rebuked the hardliners and questioned those who have been collecting money in the name of fighting in Kashmir. These statements are good indications. But what would happen during the talks no one can tell right now," he said.
He condemned the recent attack on the Charar-e-Sharief shrine by militants in which four people were killed and scores injured. "If the police were to do such a thing they would not do it in police uniform. After all militants have been known for using police uniforms and killing people. An inquiry is already on and the results would show what really happened," he pointed out.
He welcomed the statement attributed to Hizbul Mujahideen commander in India that they would try to bring down the level of violence if it could help peace talks. "This is the sort of statement which is encouraging. If they do this, then we would also reciprocate. Unfortunately when India declared unilateral ceasefire, they did not respond. But it is better late than never," he said.
He conceded that the two sides have adopted tough postures even before the talks between Vajpayee and Musharraf have got underway. "This is expected. Some give and take has to take place. General Musharraf does not want that Pakistan should be declared as a terrorist state along with Iraq and Iran etc. He has economic difficulties at home. He has to give the impression to the world that he wants democracy back in Pakistan. There are many other factors which compel him to talk to India," he said.
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