Addressing a provincial committee meeting in Srinagar, National Conference (NC) Vice-President, Omar Abdullah, on Wednesday, said that in order to protect Jammu & Kashmir’s identity, it is imperative for people of the Union Territory (UT) to register themselves as voters to thwart the attempts aimed at disempowering the people of J&K by enrolling non-locals in the electoral rolls.

The participants in the meeting expressed dismay over the recent statements, audio jingles and speeches made by some of the constituents of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) targeting NC. They even felt that it does not contribute to the overall unity of the amalgam.

While denouncing the unfair treatment meted out to NC in PAGD, the participants demanded immediate course correction from PAGD constituents.

The provincial committee members unanimously resolved that NC should prepare and fight on all 90 assembly seats in J&K.

The Vice President acknowledged the concerns raised by the participants and reiterated that the interest of the people of J&K and NC will be safeguarded.

During the hours-long meeting the functionaries gave their appraisal about the current political situation in their respective areas.

The meeting was also marked by threadbare discussions on the mounting apprehensions among the public with regards to inclusion of 25 lakh new voters as claimed by J&K’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in a press conference.

Alluding to inclusion of 25 lakh new voters in Jammu and Kashmir’s electoral roll, Omar said, “The entire matter begs clarity from the Election Commission of India. All this has triggered fears of demographic flooding and political disempowerment within the public. We are yet to ascertain if the final electoral rolls will also include those ordinarily residing voters.”

“Our concerns with regards to requirements for outsiders to get registered as voters continue to remain unmet. The clarity provided by government quarters has failed to address our core concerns on the issue,” he said.

According to NC Vice President, the people of J&K are best equipped to defeat these nefarious designs by voting in huge numbers in the forthcoming elections, whenever it holds.

He further added that “The remedy lies with our people, who can thwart these attempts aimed at disempowering the people of J&K, if they choose to vote in huge numbers. Therefore people have to come out and vote in huge numbers.”