Zeenews Bureau
Srinagar, Aug 22: Days after his father and former J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said that Indpendence is not feasible for a land locked area like J&K instead advocated autonomy for all the different regions of the state the state, National Conference president Omar Abdullah on Friday pitched for a debate on feasibility of complete ‘Azadi’ (freedom).
"If opinion makers across the country are talking about Azadi, let's bring it on the table. Let's go the whole hog then and talk about the Azadi of the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir. Let's talk about the UN resolutions,” Omar said to a television channel.
“If that is the way forward, let us not shy away from it. I know which way I am gonna turn," he added.
Lambasting freedom calls, Farooq Abdullah had on Wednesday refused to endorse the idea saying it might endanger the state's survival.
"It is a question of survival. And therefore, I don't think it is very good to thinking that we can remain free. The question is, can we survive free? It is not about survival as a destroyed state, but survival as a state, which is viable, where people can exist happily," Abduallah told reporters here.
Noting that freedom is not easy to sustain under the present circumstances, he said disintegration and freedom of J and K was not acceptable to the people of the state.
To a question about separation of Jammu and Kashmir divisions, he said Jammu and Kashmir cannot be two separate entities.
He also refuted claims that there was no "economic blockade" to the Kashmir valley, he said it was the "economic blockade" that forced Kashmiris to march towards Muzaffarabad.
The former CM also hoped that the talks between SASS and the Governor N N Vohra to resolve the crisis would be fruitful.
First Published: Friday, August 22, 2008, 00:00