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Will keep alive Article 370 issue, says Omar

Abdullah, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from north Kashmir Baramulla constituency, said the Supreme Court verdict on petitions challenging abrogation of the Article 370 was unfortunate…reports Asian Lite News

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Saturday said the Supreme Court upholding the abrogation of Article 370 does not close the issue and his party will keep it alive till a dispensation comes at the Centre that is willing to discuss the restoration of special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

“This government will not remain forever. There is no power on earth that can keep Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi in office in perpetuity, there is no power on earth that can keep the BJP in office forever. Every government has a finite term, some are longer, some are shorter. Why would you assume that no government will come in future that will be unwilling to talk to us on Article 370,” Abdullah said.

Abdullah, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from north Kashmir Baramulla constituency, said the Supreme Court verdict on petitions challenging abrogation of the Article 370 was unfortunate.

“I would like to believe that there will be a government in the future that will be happy to engage with us on our core issues of the special status of J-K and until that comes, we will keep our struggle alive,” he said.

“We will continue to fight for it and struggle for it. A stamp of the SC does not close the issue, because if a stamp closes the issue, then we had a stamp on Article 370 much before this one and the SC found in favour of Article 370. So, yes, the recent judgement is unfortunate, but that won’t stop our political fight,” the former J-K chief minister said.

He claimed that several opposition parties were also on the same page. “Even now we have friends who talk in favour of the restoration of 370, whether it is in Tamil Nadu or West Bengal or the Left. We have friends outside of J-K who see eye to eye with us on the issue of 370,” he added.

The former chief minister said just like the BJP did not stop talking about the abrogation of Article 370 even when it had two Lok Sabha members in the 1984 elections, his party will continue to talk about the restoration of the special status.

“When the BJP was reduced to two members of Parliament after the victory of Rajiv Gandhi following the assassination of PM Indira Gandhi, did the BJP stop? It kept talking about 370 despite setbacks in court. So, our struggle (also) will not end,” he said.

Asked about the “silence” of the Congress on the demand for restoration of Article 370, Abdullah said while he was disappointed, he would not blame his INDIA bloc ally.

“It is disappointing but I do not blame them. I have always maintained that J-K’s special status is the legacy of the Congress party. It was not an individual who gave it, it was the government that gave it “It was a sovereign commitment of the Union of India with the people of J-K, but you cannot escape the fact that it was the legacy of India’s first prime minister. Therefore, I would have been happier if the Congress had defended its legacy a bit more.

“But, I do understand the political compulsions that make it difficult for them to do it. What I find surprising is that when people, whose legacy is the map of J-K, actually celebrate its dismemberment, that I find surprising because J-K’s map is not a product of August 15, 1947, J-K’s map actually predates independence. So, I would like to have seen people whose legacy is the territorial boundary of J-K perhaps defend it a bit more,” he added.

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Omar lauds alliance with Congress

Congress General Secretary in Charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh gave credit to Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Ladakh…reports Asian Lite News

National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah expressed gratitude towards the Congress party after the Congress-NC alliance scored a victory in the LAHDC (Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council)-Kargil elections. Abdullah also said that these elections should be a wake-up call for the Bhartiya Janata Party.

“The BJP was dealt a resounding defeat at the hands of the NC-INC alliance in Kargil today. In celebration of our strong alliance with the Congress party, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference is delighted to announce its victory in the LAHDC Kargil elections”, he posted on X.

Launching an attack on the BJP for its defeat in the elections he said, “This result sends a message to all forces and parties that have, undemocratically and unconstitutionally, divided the state of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh without the consent of its people”.

“These election results should serve as a wake-up call for the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is time to cease hiding behind the Raj Bhawan and unelected representatives and, instead, acknowledge the people’s rightful desire for a democratically elected government in Jammu and Kashmir. Democracy demands the voices of the people be heard and respected.” Abdullah posted on X.

Congress General Secretary in Charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh gave credit to Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Ladakh.

“…Trends coming in show Congress leading convincingly in the elections to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil with an almost complete wipeout of the BJP. This is a direct impact of Rahul Gandhi continuing Bharat Jodo Yatra in Ladakh last month,” Ramesh posted on X.

The Chief of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Mehboob Mufti said, “Heartening to see secular parties like NC and Congress register their victory in Kargil. It’s the first election post-2019 and people of Ladakh have spoken.” The PDP however did not contest the election.

The Congress-National Conference alliance bagged 22 seats out of 26 seats (10 Congress and 12 National Conference) while the BJP just won 2 seats and 2 seats were won by independent candidates. This was the first election in the Union Territory Ladakh after Article 370 was scrapped from the Indian constitution. (ANI)

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Taliban dig-up Mullah Omar’s vehicle buried 21 years ago

The Taliban took power in Kabul under Omar’s leadership in 1996 but were later toppled by a US-led invasion in 2001…reports Asian Lite News

Mullah Omar, the elusive and reclusive one-eyed founder of the Taliban, once hid his personal vehicle by burying it when the US forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001 in retaliation to the 9/11 attacks, media reports said.

Now, in 2022, the Taliban have dug up the vehicle of their founder in Zabul province, where it was buried 21 years ago, Express Tribune reported.

The Toyota vehicle was buried by Mullah Omar when he arrived at Zabul province in southern Afghanistan from Kandahar.

The car was found wrapped in plastic and mostly undamaged. The front mirror was, however, broken, a local said.

The vehicle will soon be displayed at the Afghan National Museum.

Born in 1960 in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, Mullah Omar fought with the Afghan fighters against the Soviet army in the 1980s and lost his right eye in battle.

Some reports suggest the Taliban leader had himself cut out his wounded eye, while others suggest he was treated at a hospital in one of the neighbouring countries, Express Tribune reported.

After the Soviets pulled out in 1989, Omar was said to have returned to his native area as a prayer leader and teacher. He gathered a band of students which was later said to have become the Taliban.

The Taliban took power in Kabul under Omar’s leadership in 1996 but were later toppled by a US-led invasion in 2001.

Military chopper for marriage

A Taliban commander allegedly flew his newlywed bride from Logar to Khost province in eastern Afghanistan,using a military helicopter, according to local sources.

The Taliban figure was referred to as a commander of the Haqqani branch on social media, and the sources claimed that he resides in Khost and that his wife’s residence is in the Barki Barak district of Logar, reports Khaama Press.

The sources claim that this incident occurred in the Shah Mazar region of the Barki Barak district of Logar province.

The wife of the Taliban commander is seen being transported in a military helicopter that landed near a house in a video that went viral on social media, Khaama Press reported.

Furthermore, it is claimed that this commander gave his father-in-law 1,200,000 Afghanis as dowry in exchange for his daughter’s hand in marriage.

However, in response, the Taliban’s deputy spokesperson, Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, argues that the allegations are untrue calling it a “propaganda of the enemy”, and that the Islamic Emirate dismisses it.

The video that was circulated on social media incited outrage among the public, who criticized the action as a misuse of public property and pointed out that it was in conflict with the Taliban supreme leader’s remarks made in the Loya Jirga.

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