Impose Gov Rule in state, says Farooq Abdullah

Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Sunday called for the immediate imposition of the Governor’s Rule in the state, stressing that it was the only way to arrest the growing unrest in the Valley, fast slipping into anarchy.

“We have never been promoters of Governor’s rule; we have always opposed it. But there is no other way,” Mr Abdullah, the newly elected MP from Srinagar, said.

The National Conference chief, who was recently called to New Delhi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a discussion on Kashmir, said Mr Modi wanted a “peaceful end” to the situation in the state, reeling under unrest for months.

“I can’t tell you what I discussed with the PM. All I can say is that he is concerned about the situation and wants a  peaceful end to it,” he said. The former CM, accusing the state government of “failing on all fronts”, said not just south Kashmir, the entire Valley was in the grip of “tragedies”.

“These tragedies are adding to communal tension in the rest of the nation. So the quicker we settle this problem, (the quicker) would we be able to control the fire which is coming to a boiling stage,” Mr Abdullah said.