Suhail Khan
Srinagar, Oct 26:Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has broken his silence on the deeply controversial 1987 Jammu and Kashmir elections, arguing that blame for the alleged rigging should be shared by all parties in the ruling alliance at the time, not just his father.
The 1987 state assembly elections are widely regarded as a pivotal and contentious moment in the Jammu and Kashmir’s history, with widespread accusations that they were systematically rigged by the incumbent government.
In an interview with a national TV, as per Kashmir Convener, Omar Abdullah addressed the enduring controversy. He began by reflecting on his personal distance from the events, stating, “I was 17, I was in school.” However, drawing on his 25 years of political experience, he acknowledged the persistent allegations, “I will say only this, there is no smoke without fire.”
He suggested that the political climate of the era was a factor, adding that his understanding is that “you could only rig elections in the Jammu and Kashmir trend which was going on at the time.”
Chief minister Omar Abdullah emphasized that the 1987 government was formed by an alliance between the National Conference, then led by his father Farooq Abdullah, and the Jammu & Kashmir Congress, headed by the late Late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed.
He directly challenged the historical narrative that often singles out his father for criticism. “If Farooq Abdullah is responsible for what happened in 1987,” he questioned, “why is the late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, who was the head of the J&K Congress, also not held responsible?”
Using a vivid analogy, he argued for a more balanced accountability, asking, “How is it that blame is only apportioned to one individual in this alliance and the other individual is almost as if he has taken a dip in the Ganga and has emerged totally blameless?”
His further said that “If 1987 was wrong, then please, opposition, blame in proportion.”
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