NC can't escape blame for 'economic distress': Hurriyat

Chairman of moderate Hurriyat Mirwaiz Umer Farooq today said the ruling National Conference cannot escape the blame for the "economic distress" and "political uncertainty" prevalent in Jammu and Kashmir.
"National Conference, which has been in power in the state for most of the time, cannot escape the blame along with the rulers in New Delhi for the difficult situation and political and economical exploitation which the people of Jammu and Kashmir have gone through since 1947," Mirwaiz said addressing Friday congregation at Jamia Masjid here.
Reacting to the statement of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that his grandfather and NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah's decision to accede to India was for good of the people, he said "the statement is bereft of historical and political facts."

"The entire leadership of National Conference from day one has been involved in atrocities and serious human rights violations on the people here and left no stone unturned in selling the resources for personal interests and power.
Referring to Chief Minister's dream of 'Naya (New) Kashmir', the Hurriyat chairman said the party (NC) has no ideology and vision and it cannot absolve itself from the current phase of uncertainty and bloodshed.
"Which development and dream of 'Naya Kashmir' are they talking about? The reality is that the party has sold the economic resources, thus making the people of the state dependable even for food," he said.

Asserting that the state was self sufficient before the NC came to power, he said the party gifted all the resources of the state to New Delhi for petty gains.

"We used to import just one per cent of our requirements against three per cent of exports. Today the situation is that we are importing goods worth Rs 40,000 crore, while we are exporting only goods worth Rs 7,000 crore.
"Jammu and Kashmir is the only place in the entire region which had Mohra power house in 1905 and the state had the capacity of generating 25,000 MW electricity using its own resources which could have resulted in the profit of Rs one lakh crore. But the situation today is that entire Kashmir has been plunged into darkness due to lopsided economic policy of this party," he said.

He said Jammu and Kashmir has much more resources than many countries in the world and can be self-sufficient on the basis of its resources.