Omar Abdullah to CM: Sue me if I’m wrong

As the issue of setting up a separate residential colony for serving and ex-servicemen and their families in Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar is snowballing into a major political controversy, former chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday dared the present incumbent Mehbooba Mufti to sue him in a court of law if his relevant statements are wrong.

“If you haven’t filed a case against me in the next 24 hours the people will know who is lying in this matter @mehbooba_mufti. Truth prevails,” Mr Abdullah wrote on Twitter. Earlier, he posted a picture of an official document which was used by the Indian Express in its story about the proposal of Sainik Colony and tweeted, “If you have the guts & truly believe this image is fake file a case against me in the nearest police station TODAY!!”

Ms Mufti soon after arriving to a ceremonial “guard of honour” at Civil Secretariat here on the reopening of “Darbar”, the biannual office move in the summer capital, earlier during the day had asked Mr Abdullah “not to repeat his mistake today”. Elaborating, she told the reporters that the Opposition National Conference (NC) working president was not a common man, but has been the chief minister of the state for six years.

“I only hope that Mr Omar does not repeat his mistake today in which he has referred to some papers (about Sainik Colony),” she said.

The NC, CPI(M) and a few regional mainstream parties and Kashmiri separatists have strongly opposed allotment of land for setting up residential colonies for armed forces personnel in Srinagar or elsewhere in Jammu and Kashmir, asserting any such move would be seen as a deliberate attempt on part of the government to change the demography of the state.

“Sainik Colony could be a ruse to settle non-state subjects in the Valley and hence will bypass Article 370,” Mr Abdullah asserted last week.