Dr Farooq Counters Amit Shah Over Attack On NC, Shares Party’s Report Card

SRINAGAR — Repulsing back to Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his statement about the party, National Conference (NC) on Thursday shared a dossier of initiatives taken under the party’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir and said that J&K has witnessed eras of development under its rule.

Under the title of ‘Major development and milestones in various sectors under JKNC governments’ Dr Farooq said that despite the decades of turmoil, J&K state rose to the top among Indian states in terms of major development indices.

“Yesterday HM Amit Shah Ji asked me to account for the development that took place during the years JKNC has been in power. He was trying to suggest that nothing had been achieved & that NC had wasted away its time in office with nothing to show. I don’t wish to get side tracked by some of the other things that were said about guns & stones. The sacrifices of my colleagues over the last 35 years where scores of NC leaders and workers have been killed or injured by these very guns Amit Shah ji accused us of distributing is the only answer this accusation needs,” Dr Farooq said.

Sharing the dossier of initiatives taken under NC’s periodic rule since 1948 to 2014, Dr Farooq said that it was during the party’s rule that Panchayat Raj Institution was established and elections were held, SKIMS hospital has been established, Gujjar and Bakarwal advisory board was formed, free education was given up to University level, the Universities of Jammu and Kashmir were established, mobile schools for Gujjar community established, 3000 entrepreneurship units established, skill upgradation training provided to 40000 youth, 20348 ReTs regularized and other initiatives were taken periodically.

The list of 115 initiatives taken by the party was mentioned by Dr Farooq in the party’s dossier issued to KNO.

After highlighting the party’s initiatives, Dr Farooq said J&K has witnessed eras of development, ushering its people into political, economic and social empowerment.

“Despite the decades of turmoil, J&K state rose to the top among Indian states in terms of major development indices. The list could be broader, more exhaustive,” he said.

“Today the literacy rate in J&K is 77 percent. Infant mortality is less than 20, maternal mortality is 46. Life expectancy is 74. Population growth rate is 11 percent. The incumbent regime has and may again claim credit for all of this but propaganda and facts are two different things,” he added. — (KNO)