Stating that Pakistan is not an architect of present crisis in Kashmir, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said India was unwilling to own people of Kashmir inspite of stating that Kashmir is integral part of India.

"When you say Kashmir is an integral part of India, you are talking about the land, not the people. You need to own the people with the land. It is not good enough to say Kashmir is part of India, what about Kashmiris then. Please own the people, not just the land. If you are unwilling to address the anger, then you are unwilling to own the people," Abdullah said while addressing reporters after chairing meeting of all opposition parties. The opposition parties are going to present a memorandum to the President to urge the Centre to take steps to address present crisis in the Valley.

"DIALOGUE IS THE ONLY WAY FORWARD"

Omar Abdullah strongly pitched that a dialogue is the only way forward.

"We are supporters of a dialogue, whether it be National Conference, Congress, CPI(M) or any other smaller group. We believe dialogue is the only way forward. Both India and Pakistan should take requisite steps to improve the environment so that a dialogue is possible," said Omar. He said separatist and mainstream parties in Kashmir remain relevant whether Kashmir was undergoing peace or crisis.

Citing example of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's response to agitation in Gujarat early this year, Abdullah said, "It is mind-boggling that far lesser agitation in Gujarat had no lesser the person in India than the prime minister addressing that state in Gujarati from Delhi because he owned the people, he owned the state. Why is it that we don't get owned, why is that our anger doesn't get owned, why is it that our sentiment doesn't get owned, why is it that we get the feeling that you have to be forced to recognize the problem."

OMAR APPEALS TO THE CENTRE

"We are appealing to the Centre that it should recognise that there is problem. Please recognise that there is anger and this anger is not created by Pakistan. Yes, they may, as is past practice of fishing in troubled waters but they are not the architects of this problem and they are not the ones to keep it alive. It is our inability to recognise anger in Kashmir and inability to address this anger. We need to first recognise it and accept it and then we can hope this anger dies down," Abdullah said.

Abdullah while comparing present protests in the Valley with uprising of 2010 when he was Chief Minister of the State, said that New Delhi's refusal to recognise the problem is complicated. "If the Valley erupted in 2008 against the economic blockade of Kashmir, it was addressed by opening of Srinagar-Muzafferabad trade route," he said. "Today both the Centre and State are turning a blind eye to the situation. If you don't recognise the anger, if you don't seek to address the root cause of the anger, how will the anger die away," Abdullah asked.

"Kashmir crisis was only taken into note as the Parliament was in session. Twice the opposition brought this issue for discussion in the Rajya Sabha and once in the Lok Sabha," said Abdullah.

He said unlike 2010 when the PDP actively lobbied for dismissal of his government, he has not sought dismissal of Mehbooba Mufti government. "This is not battle for chairs. This is not about pulling Mehbooba Mufti down so that one of us can get on that chair. This is about safeguarding future generation of Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

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