Storm in NC over Sajjad Lone statement

Omar calls meeting as Sagar seeks action against Akbar Lone etc.

 

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

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SRINAGAR, Jun 29: National Conference General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar and former Minister Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan have taken exception to their own party colleagues’ act of disowning a statement that castigated the Peoples Conference Chairman and Cabinet Minister Sajjad Lone over his welcoming RSS to Kashmir. With the storm brewing up in the NC, acting President and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has called an emergency meeting at his residence here on Tuesday.

Informed sources revealed to State Times that all the six leaders---Mohammad Shafi Uri, Shariefuddin Shariq, Mir Saifullah, Qaisar Jamsheed Lone, Mohammad Akbar Lone and Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan---in whose name a statement against Sajjad Lone had been issued on last Friday, have been asked on behalf of Omar to attend the meeting at his Gupkar Road residence at 1600 hours on Tuesday.

According to these sources, the meeting has been called for seeking an explanation from Mohammad Akbar Lone (MLA Sonawari and former Minister of Higher Education), Mohammad Shafi Uri (former MP who has functioned as Minister for decades), Shariefuddin Shariq (former MP), Mir Saifullah (former Minister of Law) and MLC Qaisar Jamsheed Lone as to why they publicly distanced from a statement issued by the NC spokesperson on authorisation of the General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar.

While as Omar had caught Sajjad on a wrong foot and engaged him in a controversy on Twitter, Akbar Lone was the first who told media that he had no knowledge of the statement issued against Sajjad. He told a news agency that the statement had been issued without his knowledge and consent as he was busy on that particular day in the District Development Board meeting of Bandipore district.

This apparently prompted Mohammad Shafi Uri, Saifullah, Shariq and Jamsheed Lone to follow. In their separately issued statements they invariably distanced from the NC press note, denting the credibility of the party spokesman Janiad Azeem Matoo.

Sources said that Ramzan and Sagar agitated the matter with Omar who was currently in New Delhi. He conveyed his decision to fix the meeting at his residence in Srinagar on Tuesday. One of the well-placed sources in NC disclosed that both, Ramzan as well as Sagar, have sought disciplinary action against Akbar Lone and others and even threatened to resign from their party positions.

Sources said it was General Secretary Sagar who called Ramzan on Friday and desired him to sign a statement against Sajjad. Sagar wanted the statement to go in the name of the leaders from Sajjad’s Kupwara district as the previous statement on alleged desecration of Jamia Masjid by Police had been released in the name of spokesman. After a deal of discussion with Akbar Lone and others, the NC statement against Sajjad was issued in the evening.

“Akbar Lone was eager to issue the statement. He conveyed his consent before the statement was issued. It came as a surprise to Sagar, Ramzan and others when Lone gave relief to Sajjad and together with four others discredited their own party”, said a senior NC leader. He alleged that Akbar Lone had maintained his links to Sajjad since the days of his association with PC. “But more surprising are the statements of Shafi Uri and Mir Saifullah. They have salvaged Sajjad from the whirlpool of controversy”, he added.

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