JAMMU: National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said his party would continue with its fight for the restoration of the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.He also exhorted the NC cadre to further strengthen its rank and file to meet the challenges before the Union Territory unitedly and by upholding the cherished philosophy of communal and regional amity.”We will uphold the interests of the people at all costs in every forum,” Abdullah said while addressing the NC functionaries of Jammu virtually, adding that the political issues post August 5, 2019 (the day the Centre abrogated the provisions of Article 370 and bifurcated the erstwhile state into Union territories) have been challenged by the party in the Supreme Court.The meeting in which wide-ranging issues were discussed lasted for eight hours. NC vice president Omar Abdullah also participated in the deliberations, a party spokesperson said.Asserting that the NC is not against the delimitation process in Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah said, “The method adopted, however, is not in tandem with the procedure.”The Member of Parliament from Srinagar dwelt upon various issues flagged by the party functionaries and shared the concerns over road connectivity, especially the smooth functioning of the Mughal Road that connects the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu with Shopian district in south Kashmir.”This link is very vital between the two regions as the national highway between Jammu and Srinagar is over-stressed and cannot hold the pressure of such a massive vehicular movement,” he said.The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said the railway connectivity between Jammu-Poonch and Jammu-Kishtwar is of paramount importance, which has already been taken up by the NC in Parliament.”We will flag this issue with the prime minister as well,” he said, adding that trains are the most credible and dependable mode of surface transport, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, which encounters road blockades for the better part of the year due to weather vagaries.The NC president expressed concern over the unfortunate situation caused by the Covid pandemic and sought active support of the people in making the ongoing vaccination drive against the viral disease a success.”This is the only solution to defeating the virus and the party cadre must motivate the people to go for vaccination,” he said.Addressing the daylong virtual meet, Omar Abdullah asked the party functionaries to review the NC”s membership distribution process in Jammu.Expressing concern over the uncertainty looming large in Jammu and Kashmir, he urged the cadre to remain steadfast in their resolve to fight for the right cause.The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister stressed the crucial need of further strengthening the party at the grassroots level by launching a door-to-door campaign.”Mobilisation by the cadre during the elections to the district development councils reiterated the fact that the NC is a force to reckon with,” he said.Omar Abdullah also joined the cadre in paying tributes to the party colleagues who died of Covid.He said the NC was, is and will remain at the forefront to seek justice for the people of all the regions and sub-regions.”Public interest is sacrosanct for us,” he said and urged the cadre to articulate the problems of the people for seeking redressal to those.Earlier, a two-minute silence was observed in the memory of the senior NC leaders and all those who fell prey to the pandemic.NC provincial president Devender Singh Rana, who conducted the proceedings of the virtual conference, read out the obituaries of party leaders Thakur Rachpal Singh, Thakur Kashmira Singh, Abdul Wahid Shan, Gurdeep Singh Sasan, Rohit Kerni and Mohammed Alam, saying they had contributed immensely in strengthening the party and serving the people in different capacities.
