Tangmarg: National Conference vice president and Lok Sabha Baramulla Parliamentary constituency candidate, Omar Abdullah, denounced the 'collective punishment' of Kashmiri people under the 'blacklisting system,' stating that the party would revise the verification process if voted to power.
He stressed that the youth are "suffering unjustly for faults they haven’t committed."
Addressing a gathering in Tangmarg village of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, Omar said that the youth are currently facing harassment and inconvenience regarding police verifications. They are being held accountable for crimes they did not commit, he added.
Abdullah mentioned that during his tenure, he focused on halting the blacklisting system.
"A militant’s son is not a militant; a militant’s relative is not a militant. It’s not justified. Even youths who were not born during the 1990s are being denied verifications, citing that their relative was a militant at that time," he said.
"We must fight for the release of the youth languishing in jails outside Kashmir, detained without any charges. Only then will the people of Kashmir receive justice," he said.
He mentioned that the passports of those who formed militant groups and provided weapons to people were never revoked.
"We have repeatedly stated and are reiterating that if the National Conference is voted to power, we will abolish the Public Safety Act (PSA) law in Jammu and Kashmir," he stated.
"From civil administration departments to top-ranking police officers, every official is from outside J&K, who cannot even understand the Kashmiri language," he added.
"Whether it is the recruitment in J&K banks or contracts for sand extraction from the Jhelum, outsiders are being given preference. Where should the people go?" Omar questioned.
(KNO)