Srinagar, Jan 17: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Vice President Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the socio, political and economic emancipation of Gujjar and Bakarwal community forms the cornerstone of NC's inclusive development policy.
They said this while addressing a day long Gujjar and Bakarwal Conference organised by senior party leader Choudhary Muhammad Aslam at the party provincial headquarters Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan, Jammu.
In his address, Dr. Farooq lay stress on unity, he said that "we should learn from our previous mistakes and move forward," adding that the challenges ahead of Jammu and Kashmir can only be surmounted if every section of the society join forces with NC to protect the unique identity of J&K. "Our tribals identify with our policies, our vision and mission. Our party has been a votary of exclusive rights of our tribals on the natural resources. Policies pursued by us have brought difference into the lives of our tribals, but much more needs to be done to bridge the gap."
Omar emphasised on efforts from both sides for safeguarding the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. "NC is fighting a peaceful, and democratic battle on multiple fronts. But our efforts won't succeed untill the Gujjar and Bakarwal community joins forces with us.We are not fighting for a particular community, religion, or region. We are fighting for every single individual of J&K. We are fighting for our existence, our democratic rights, our identity and our dignity."he said.
He asked the people to exercise caution while electing their representatives, saying that every ote they cast will decide their future, the future of their future generations.
Congratulating the organisers on holding the conference, Omar said that he looked forward to such interactions with the Gujjar and Bakarwal activists in the future as well.
Meantime party functionaries, who spoke on the occasion highlighted the plethora of issues faced by the Gujjar and Bakarwal community across J&K. They said that the community has been at the receiving end since 2014 , with very little to no attention being provided to their emancipation.
