Srinagar, June 4 (IANS) J&K Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara Sajad Gani Lone on Wednesday lashed out at National Conference and its current administration, accusing them of targeting Kashmiris and running a system steeped in “lies, inaction, and brazen corruption.”
Addressing a press conference, Lone said the National Conference has no power to impact anyone except the common Kashmiri.
“They are going after the very people who voted for them. And those who didn’t, they are being treated with callousness. This is exactly what we expected from them,” Lone remarked.
He went on to cite alleged rampant corruption and inefficiency in the current setup.
“We will begin collecting evidence. They have done no work to date—just lie after lie. Where is the government? What have they delivered to the people?” he questioned.
Taking a swipe at the frequent official review meetings, he said, “They’ve been holding these meetings for aeons here—only to sip tea and eat Kebabs. In our time, too, these review meetings meant nothing. Do you think Germany, Japan, the UK or the US became first-world nations through review meetings? It takes hard work, day and night, to build a nation.”
He also raised concerns about the over-centralisation of power in the Chief Minister’s office.
“The CM is handling 28 to 30 departments alone. Is he even human? If ministers can’t be appointed out of fear or indecision, what is the point of being in power?”
He criticised the system still being run by commissioner-secretaries as it was decades ago, asking, “Why did people even vote if nothing was meant to change and ministers were only meant to stay busy with transfers?”
Lone also expressed concern over the ongoing termination of government employees, calling it a damaging and repetitive tactic.
“This has been happening for 30 years under every regime. It creates unrest. Targeting Kashmiris must stop. Until Kashmiris are at peace, peace in South Asia will remain a distant dream.”
Highlighting the economic downturn, he said, “Economic activity in Kashmir has come to a halt. There’s a dire need to rebuild market confidence and revive the economy.”
–IANS
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