National Conference leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah targeted the Election Commission of India, saying it was "a matter of considerable shame" that the Supreme Court had to issue a directive about elections in Jammu and Kashmir rather than the poll body.
The view that Article 370 was at the root of all problems of Jammu and Kashmir was not correct, said the NC leader adding terrorist attacks are now being reported in areas which were earlier free of terrorism, in particular the hills of Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch.
More Kashmiri Pandits have been killed in targeted attacks in the Valley during the tenure of the present government than in the past, he claimed.
"What is the BJP and what is the Government of India going to do about the deadline the Supreme Court has set," Abdullah asked. The top court directed the assembly elections should be held in Jammu and Kashmir by the end of September 2024.
In December last year, the Supreme Court upheld the Centre's decision to abrogate provisions of Article 370 which had given a special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, but directed restoration of statehood "at the earliest". Assembly elections should be held by September 30, 2024, it said.
Abdullah also said that terror attacks on Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley is a regular occurrence. Despite the abrogation of Article 370, pockets of support for separatists continue to exist and hardly a week or two pass without a terrorist attack, he said.
(With PTI inputs)
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