The Core Group of the opposition National Conference (NC) on Friday threatened that the party would launch a civil disobedience movement against the PDP-BJP government headed by Mehbooba Mufti is she failed to drop from her cabinet the two ministers who attended a rally of the Hindu Ekta Manch (HEM) to support the demand for transferring to the CBI the case of rape-murder of a 8-years girl belonging to the Muslim nomadic community.

Meeting of the core group was presided by Farooq Abdullah in Srinagar and also attended by the former chief minister Omar Abdullah.

A spokesman of the NC said that the Core Group discussed in detail the “insensitive handling” of the horrific Kathua rape and murder case by the state government and also expressed disappointment at the failure of Mehbooba to act against the two Cabinet Ministers, Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga “who “openly rallied support to divisive groups out to subvert the investigation and shield the accused”.

The Core Group expressed solidarity with the victim’s family and resolved that the party will not cooperate with the State Government until and unless the two erring Cabinet Ministers were sacked for their unacceptable, abhorrent and criminal behavior in the light of this tragedy and its politicisation.

The Core Group also expressed serious concern over the unabated civilian killings in Kashmir and said the Government had “failed to protect” the lives of innocent civilians by abdicating its basic moral and legal responsibilities.

Expressing solidarity with the families of those civilians who had lost their lives, the party extended heartfelt condolences to them. The Core Group said the deteriorating law and order situation in the state was a matter of grave concern and reflected the continued adverse implications of the ruling dispensation’s opportunism and anti-people policies.

The Core Group meeting was also attended by NC General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar, Muhammad Shafi Uri, Abdul Rahim Rather, Mubarak Gul, Muhammad Akbar Lone, Chaudhary Muhammad Ramzan, Nasir Aslam Wani, Devender Singh Rana, Ajay Sadhotra, Surjeet Singh Slathia, Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo, Khalid Najeeb Suharwardy, Mushtaq Ahmed Bukhari, Mian Altaf Ahmed, Javed Rana and Shammi Oberoi.