Srinagar, Oct 31: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday delivered a sharp political message, apparently directed at National Conference (NC) President and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, over his recent remarks on Pakistan’s role in keeping the Kashmir issue alive internationally, saying those who had thrived on separatism and conflict were unable to reconcile with the peace, stability, and development taking shape in Jammu and Kashmir.
Without naming Abdullah, LG Sinha questioned the tendency of certain political elements to speak about Pakistan while overlooking India’s growing international stature.
He accused them of attempting to push J&K back towards separatism and terrorism, asserting that the people, particularly in Kashmir, had begun recognising what he described as the forces behind the region’s troubled past.
Addressing the J&K Union Territory Foundation Day function in Srinagar, the LG said the region had undergone a transformation that many had once considered unlikely.
“We had very comfortably accepted a compromise and had even given up hope of any change. But God has been kind. In our lifetime, the picture of J&K has changed,” he said. LG Sinha said some people remained uncomfortable with the changes, particularly the improvement in the security situation and the development witnessed in the region.
“It is also true that some people cannot come to terms with this stability, this peace and this development. They are unable to accept the positive changes that have taken place in the lives of ordinary citizens,” he said.
In an apparent reference to Abdullah’s recent comments on Pakistan, LG Sinha said certain people were speaking about a country where people had to stand in queues for flour, instead of highlighting India’s achievements and its growing standing on the international stage.
“Instead of talking about India, they are talking about a country where people have to stand in queues for flour. India’s glory has been established at every international platform across the world. Even the strongest countries in the world feel proud that they are engaging with India,” he said.
The LG alleged that some elements were seeking to revive separatism and terrorism in J&K, despite the changes in the region’s political and security landscape.
“There are elements in J&K who want to once again push this region towards separatism and the violence of terrorism,” he said.
LG Sinha expressed satisfaction that people, particularly in Kashmir, had begun identifying such elements and questioning their role in the region’s past.
“I am happy that the common people of J&K, particularly the people of the Kashmir Valley, have now recognised the faces of such people very well,” he said.
Referring to reactions on social media, the LG said comments by ordinary Kashmiris reflected growing public questioning of political figures whom they believed had caused considerable damage to the region.
He also questioned the contrast between the lifestyles of certain political figures and the circumstances of ordinary people, alleging that while their children studied abroad and their families enjoyed luxurious lives, the common Kashmiri continued to bear the consequences of conflict.
“Their own children study abroad. They have homes in London and Switzerland. They enjoy luxurious lifestyles in the big cities of the country. But what does the ordinary Kashmiri get?” LG Sinha said.
He described these reactions as evidence of a changing public outlook, particularly among the younger generation and women.
“These comments by ordinary Kashmiris are a symbol of a new consciousness being born among the youth, young women and citizens of Kashmir,” the LG said.
He said that terrorism would not be allowed to regain a foothold in J&K and warned against any attempt to revive militancy.
“Now, no one will be allowed to give terrorism another opportunity to flourish in this soil. Whoever attempts to do so will meet the same fate that has been reserved for such elements,” LG Sinha said.
He said security forces and J&K Police were committed to eliminating the remaining elements of terrorism.
Describing what he termed a major transformation in the security situation following the abrogation of Article 370, he said terrorism, separatism, and stone-pelting had given way to democracy, development and public participation.
“The future of J&K lies not in the shadow of terror, but in the light of peace; not behind the walls of discrimination, but in equal opportunities; and not in stagnation, but in the momentum of progress,” the LG said.
“We did not buy peace; we established peace. The zero-tolerance policy crippled terror networks and restored normal life across Jammu and Kashmir. Since 2020, more than 780 terrorists have been eliminated, local recruitment has ended, and stone-pelting has been erased. Now Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a historic security transformation,” he said.
LG Sinha also highlighted the administration’s action against drug trafficking and what he described as narco-terrorism, claiming that thousands of drug smugglers and peddlers had been arrested during the year.
“Strong action against narco-terrorism continues. We have arrested thousands of drug smugglers and drug peddlers this year. Their illicit assets have been attached, and drug-funded mansions were demolished,” he said.
The LG said those who had benefited from separatism and terrorism had been exposed, adding that there was no place in J&K for what he termed the conflict industry.
“Conflict entrepreneurs who profited from separatism and terrorism stand exposed. People of Jammu and Kashmir have embraced peace, progress and national integration,” he said.
“Those whose survival depended on separatism and the conflict industry have now been exposed and rendered unemployed. There is no place for these conflict entrepreneurs in Jammu and Kashmir anymore,” LG Sinha said.
Issuing a stern warning against attempts to disturb public life, he said anyone undermining peace, development and people’s quality of life would face severe consequences.
“I want to assure the common people that anyone who attempts to disrupt your quality of life, your development, your peace and tranquillity will be punished so severely that seven generations of their descendants will remember it,” the LG said.
His remarks came a week after Abdullah triggered a political controversy with his speech at a NC workers’ convention in Baramulla on October 24, where he referred to Pakistan’s efforts to raise the Kashmir issue internationally and said these efforts had helped keep the issue alive.
Questioning what Kashmiris could expect from New Delhi, Abdullah had urged people to remain courageous and stand up for their rights.
“What hope will you have from them (Delhi)? Will you expect that they will do justice for you?” he had asked.
Abdullah warned that people risked losing their identity if they failed to stand up for their rights.
“If you don’t keep it, you will be erased. Even our trace and identity will disappear. Nothing will be left,” he had said.
Explaining his remarks on Pakistan, Abdullah had said international attention and Pakistan’s continued efforts to raise the Kashmir issue were keeping the matter alive.
“They are silent today because there is noise in the world, and our neighbour is constantly behind this. Everywhere they say that the decision regarding Kashmir has not been made. That is what is saving us. Otherwise, their intentions are not good,” he had said.
His remarks were widely interpreted as crediting Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts with keeping the Kashmir issue on the international agenda.
However, Abdullah had also qualified his statement by saying that Pakistan’s intentions were otherwise not good.
He had also questioned the Centre’s approach towards Jammu and Kashmir, urging people to remain united, speak the truth and stand firm in defence of their rights.
“Speaking the truth is not easy, but unless you speak the truth and stand firm by it, your future will never be secure,” Abdullah had said.
The remarks drew strong reactions from the BJP, whose leaders described them as anti-national and demanded an apology.
BJP leaders accused the NC president of lending legitimacy to Pakistan’s position on Kashmir, questioning how Pakistan could be portrayed as helping Kashmiris despite its alleged role in decades of violence and terrorism in the region.
Former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad also disagreed with Abdullah’s remarks, saying Pakistan had been a destroyer of Jammu and Kashmir and referring to the suffering of people in PoK.
