Accept PDP’s support from the core of my heart: Farooq Abdullah

Srinagar, Oct 7: National Conference (NC) President and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah Monday said he would accept the support of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) “from the core of my heart” but the NC Vice President Omar Abdullah said the PDP had not extended any support.

Farooq said that this was important to pull J&K out of the mess which it had been in the last 10 years.

Commenting on the administration’s move of nominating five members for the Legislative Assembly, he said only the elected government had a right to do so.

The NC patriarch said the new government has enormous challenges to face.

He said the central government should realise this and support the government in its quest to strike the challenges.

Farooq said Kashmir is an important region that borders the two enemies and J&K’s welfare was the welfare of the whole country.

About the possibilities of horse-trading as the votes are counted, he said, let those who want to get involved in it get involved.

On Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) chief’s suggestion to political leaders in Kashmir of delaying government formation to pressure the central government to restore J&K’s statehood, Farooq said he wonders what brought Rashid out of prison.

“If he was in jail, who released him and why, when others are languishing in prison. What happened to Rashid’s slogan of plebiscite for Kashmir,” he said.

Farooq also urged the world powers to stop the ongoing wars in West Asia and Ukraine.

“If they want this planet to survive, they should put an end to these wars,” he said.

Meanwhile, NC Vice President and former chief minister Omar Abdullah said that the PDP had not yet extended its support to the NC-Congress alliance.

Commenting over the offer of support extended by PDP to NC-Congress alliance to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) away from J&K, Omar said: “I wish we could put a lid on all this premature speculations for the next 24 hours.”

He said that they hadn’t extended support.

“They haven’t offered support and we don’t know what the voters have decided yet,” Omar said about the remarks made by his father and NC President who expressed his opinion over the support offer made by PDP leaders.

The NC President had earlier said, “Even if we don’t need it, we will take the support (from PDP) because if we have to go ahead, and we have to do it together. We all have to make an effort to save Jammu and Kashmir. J&K is in a lot of difficulties.”