Farooq Abdullah’s recent utterances on enforcement of 2003 type ceasefire agreement after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi are sufficient enough to indicate that he is trying hard to keep his party National Conference relevant in the fastly changing political scenario in Jammu & Kashmir state. He has started discussions with both the top helmsmen in Delhi and as well as the leaders of the national level opposition political parties to help his party National Conference regain the lost ground at the expense of poor showing of the Mehbooba led coalition government in Kashmir . Since PDP-BJP coalition government has failed to keep promises made by both PDP and BJP in the much hyped “Agenda of Alliance” , Farooq Abdullah is trying hard to prove himself a messiah of gullible Kashmiris betrayed equally by both PDP and National Conference. Knowing that the political space vacated by National Conference has been taken over by PDP in Kashmir valley and BJP in Jammu regions during the 2014 assembly elections, Farooq Abdullah is overtly and covertly continuing his party’s alliance with the Congress party. While toying with the idea of bringing together the secular forces within and outside the state Farooq Abdullah is randomly accusing ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) of promoting the RSS agenda at the instance of its coalition partner BJP in Jammu & Kashmir state.
Now politicians are judged by their deed but not words and as such no need for Farooq Abdullah and same holds good for Farooq Abdullah also.
However the compulsions of fastly changing political scenario are forcing Farooq Abdullah to keep all options open only to put his party National Conference on the path of revival in Jammu & Kashmir state. His compulsions are understood by his utterances both on the demand for the invoking of 2003 type ceasefire agreement and as well as engagement with the separatist leadership. Ironically the confusion about the role of Farooq Abdullah in Kashmir politics is far from over as he sometimes flays New Delhi for not responding to calls of reconciliation from Islamabad and urges it to start a meaningful dialogue with Pakistan to settle issues for a lasting peace in the state, but some but sometimes he also exhorts central leadership to seek assurances from Pakistan on future of peace and stability in Jammu & Kashmir. The contradictory statement of Farooq Abdullah expose his policy of double standards and double speak as he tries to confuse people just for furthering the causes of power politics which remained the sole motive of his party -National Conference for last more than six decades. Now Farooq Abdullah should understand that the political awakening has made people politically conscious enough to understand the intentions of the politicians in making statements on Indo-Pak bilateral relation vis-à-vis Kashmir and role of joint separatist leadership in the current unrest in educational institutions in valley. Now when politicians are judged by their deeds but not words and same holds good for Farooq Abdullah also.
