Ishfaq Ahmad Sheikh, a former NC MLA who won Ganderbal in 2014 with a slim margin, has formed his own party, JKUM, after leaving NC. Now positioning himself as Omar Abdullah's main rival in Ganderbal, Sheikh accuses NC of divisive politics and inconsistency on Article 370. His transition from NC member to opponent illustrates the evolving political landscape in Jammu and Kashmir.
#IsfhaqAhmadSheikh #NC #OmarAbdullah #Ganderbal #NC #KashmirElections #Jammu #Srinagar #Oneindia #Oneindianews
~HT.97~PR.320~ED.102~
#IsfhaqAhmadSheikh #NC #OmarAbdullah #Ganderbal #NC #KashmirElections #Jammu #Srinagar #Oneindia #Oneindianews
~HT.97~PR.320~ED.102~
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Jammu and Kashmir elections are very interesting, every day some or the other leader leaves the party but before the announcement of the elections,
00:29Ishfaq Jabbar has left the party.
00:32We have with us, Ishfaq Jabbar.
00:36Thank you very much.
00:38My political career, my legacy, my father, late Sheikh Abdul Jabbar, he was a former minister,
00:47who was assassinated by militants, only for that he was a true patriot.
00:54He was a true patriot.
00:56He always gave importance to democracy and for the people of Jammu and Kashmir,
01:01his contribution in Jammu and Kashmir, especially in the district of Gandharbal, people still remember him.
01:09Seeing him, I joined politics and left my job.
01:16I left my job when I was 8 years old.
01:21I contested in 2008, on the ticket of Congress.
01:26After 27 years, I fought with a candidate from Congress, from Gandharbal.
01:31I took 10,000 votes against Umar.
01:35Then Umar forced me to come back to the party.
01:39My father was a close friend of Sheikh Abdul Jabbar.
01:46He was in jail with Sheikh Abdul Jabbar for 16 years.
01:49Seeing him, I thought that this is a local, regional party.
01:53We will be able to safeguard the regional aspirations of Jammu and Kashmir.
01:58We will be able to safeguard our special powers and our identity.
02:04That is why I joined the National Conference in 2014.
02:09I fought with the National Conference in 2014.
02:14By the grace of Allah, I won the election.
02:17The veterans of that time, late Qazi Muhammad Abzal,
02:21who was a senior leader and minister of the PDP,
02:24it was not a small thing to defeat him from Gandharbal.
02:28He was a great personality.
02:31Mr. Ishfaq, you fought on the ticket of NCE in 2014.
02:38You are against them in today's election.
02:42What has changed in the last 10 years that you had to leave the party?
02:45There is a lot of leg pulling in the party.
02:49There is a system where some people have hijacked the party.
02:55The genuine people of the National Conference were ignored.
03:00According to Mr. Umar Abdullah's behavior,
03:04he had a big gap with his cadre.
03:07He did not meet them. He did not even interact with his MLA.
03:12He was more disconnected from people and the cadre of the party.
03:17The people who were around him, whatever they said about someone,
03:22some gossip, etc.
03:24After the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35,
03:34I was in detention for 10 months.
03:37When I came back, I told Mr. Umar and Mr. Farooq
03:44that we should go in front of the people.
03:47The way farmers are fighting peacefully within the constitution,
03:52we should also go to the people in the same way.
03:56The way they refused to take legal action,
04:00I thought it was a big compromise with Delhi.
04:05The way they did it, it started from there.
04:09We are the representatives of the people and we have to convey the message to the people.
04:13If we do not solve the problems of the people,
04:16how can we be called representatives of the people?
04:18I was often told not to meet LG or the governor at that time.
04:23But when there was pressure from the people,
04:26because Gandharbal was a politically sensitive area,
04:30and I also wanted to survive from here,
04:33I met Mr. LG with the problems of the people.
04:36And for the survival of Gandharbal, that was also an issue
04:40that Umar Abdullah and his people did not like.
04:43So, Mr. Ishfaq, did we think that the closeness you had with Delhi,
04:50was also increasing your distance from Umar Abdullah?
04:55No, look, we did not have closeness with Delhi.
05:01When the fractured mandate came here in 2014,
05:06PDP, NC, whatever it was, didn't Mr. Umar meet Mr. Ram Madhav?
05:10Mr. Ram Madhav did not stay here in Gandharbal for two days.
05:15He visited Gandharbal twice at that time.
05:18I don't want to take names.
05:20So, Umar Farooq was sick abroad, so his people, the people of the BJP, did not meet him.
05:26So, it was almost decided that we are making a government with the BJP.
05:31But there were some talks within the party,
05:34within the party, on which there was a resignation,
05:37and their demands, the three-year-long sharing as the Chief Minister,
05:42Umar Abdullah did not agree.
05:44That is why he could not be elected in 2014.
05:47Then he made a government with the PDP.
05:50Mr. Ishfaq, how do you feel about this competition with the Vice President of the National Conference,
05:56in that constituency, which used to be his den?
06:00Look, Mr. Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah used to say that
06:05the leadership of the people is the greatest.
06:08He has moved away from the people.
06:11There are only a few selected people around him.
06:16And we had repeatedly told Mr. Umar that
06:19you have to go to Sonwar, where you live,
06:22because today people want their representative to have access to us,
06:26which is available to us for 24 hours,
06:29so that we can come and go to their houses.
06:32So, these parachute leaders,
06:34no person or young man today wants a candidate to get down from a parachute.
06:41So, these are the things that Mr. Umar said at one time that
06:45I will build a house here in 2008.
06:47But he did not build a house.
06:49That was also a joke with Gandharwal.
06:51He said that I will sit here for two days a week,
06:54I will have a public court.
06:56That court was also not held after 2008.
06:59He said that I will give a job here at home.
07:02That was also not found.
07:04And your development is in front of you,
07:06our road is not there.
07:08When we gave five ministers from here,
07:10from late Sheikh Abdullah to Umar Abdullah,
07:13the National Conference ruled for 40 years.
07:15So, somewhere they should also think that
07:18the people of Gandharwal are no longer the same as they used to be.
07:20Today, they also have discrimination.
07:22They want to live a life of slavery.
07:25How long will they live a life of slavery?
07:28So, Mr. Ishfaq, how is the competition of thorns with Umar Abdullah?
07:32There will be a very tough competition with Umar Abdullah in this Gandharwal Conscience.
07:38Yes, there is a competition with everyone.
07:41We understand that whoever is in the candidate frame,
07:44the competition is also with them.
07:46At the end of the day, people have to decide who they choose.
07:50We are also going to the people with the agenda of development.
07:54The work we have done here in our 22-year tenure,
07:58we will put it in front of the people.
08:00The 70 years they did in Gandharwal, they should also keep it.
08:04So, at the end of the day, people will decide who they want,
08:09that the people of Gandharwal, we should end this demanding rule here.
08:15Whoever is in Gandharwal, I believe that he should be a local representative.
08:21Mr. Ishfaq, a while ago, in Lahore,
08:25while addressing an election convention,
08:28Umar Abdullah also accused that Mr. Ishfaq wanted to stay near the LG office,
08:34or near New Delhi.
08:36How much truth is there in this?
08:38Look, Mr. Umar Abdullah is saying a lot these days,
08:42and he is only seeing Ishfaq.
08:45I think Ishfaq's face must be visible even in dreams at night.
08:52So, I meet Mr. LG during the day,
08:57and he meets me at night, that's the difference.
08:59I don't meet him like a thief,
09:02I meet him in broad daylight with my people,
09:06and I support Gandharwal, for the development of Gandharwal.
09:10And I have an agenda, Mr. Umar should tell.
09:12Ishfaq Jabbar says, if people elect me here,
09:17I will generate 30,000 jobs in Gandharwal.
09:20If he wants, he can debate with me somewhere.
09:24So, we will tell, through your channel,
09:27how we will develop here, how we will find employment.
09:31And whatever I did in 30 years,
09:33he kept 70 years aside,
09:35I will keep my 3 years.
09:37Let's see whose turn it is.
09:38We can clearly see his childishness,
09:43the way he is behaving.
09:46Ishfaq Jabbar is a small resident of Gandharwal.
09:49Umar Abdullah is a big prince,
09:52he has come from London as a tourist.
09:55It's okay, let him speak.
09:57Mr. Ishfaq, there is a prominent saying,
10:00there are no permanent friends and enemies in politics.
10:04Can there ever be a time when Mr. Ishfaq joins the NCA?
10:10Look, nothing is impossible in politics.
10:15Here, the enemies of tomorrow can be friends of the future.
10:20But where I am here,
10:23it is possible that tomorrow there will be a coalition government,
10:26in Kashmir.
10:28When Mr. Ishfaq Jabbar used to speak,
10:30free candidates used to come from Gandharwal.
10:32I don't have to think about my people,
10:35where do I get them from?
10:37And I have 4-5 other candidates in the frame.
10:39It is possible that if God wills,
10:41one of them should win and come.
10:43So, Ishfaq Jabbar,
10:45then our demand will increase.
10:48So, Umar Abdullah will have to knock on our door
10:51if he gets a seat.
10:53There is less hope for him,
10:55due to the internal fights that are going on right now.
10:57He has put lollipops in the mouths of 10 candidates.
11:00Only one got a lollipop.
11:029 are angry.
11:04Now let's see how the situation will be in the future.
11:07Mr. Ishfaq, your family has been very close to the National Conference.
11:11Your late father was also very close.
11:14So, is this a personal fight,
11:18or are your complaints against the National Conference leadership,
11:22or is it a war of principles?
11:24Look, this is a war of principles.
11:26It is a war of principles.
11:27When you, the Mansoor of your party,
11:32when you cry over it,
11:34when you yourself erode an institution,
11:37when you had kept Ishfaq Jabbar as the district president,
11:41you yourself eroded that institution.
11:44You insulted Ishfaq Jabbar a lot.
11:47You didn't insult me,
11:49you insulted your party yourself.
11:52Then you beat up people right and left.
11:54You made conspiracies against me.
11:57You didn't do it today,
11:59you have been conspiring here since the 1970s.
12:01You made conspiracies against Moulana Masoodi.
12:05You made conspiracies against my late father, Sheikh Jabbar.
12:08How many of you can I count,
12:10who you divided and ruled in Gandharbal?
12:12So, how long will this go on?
12:14And the public knows that
12:16there is no delay in Allah's house.
12:19His stick doesn't make a sound.
12:21You see, what will be Allah's will?
12:23Because Allah hears the voice of someone's heart.
12:28When you are oppressed,
12:30when you are oppressed by a poor person,
12:33then you, Mr. Umar Abdullah,
12:35not only your party,
12:37you will not even have a trace of your name.
12:39So, Mr. Ishfaq, I am repeating an interesting question again.
12:42If Mr. Umar Abdullah extends his hand of friendship towards you,
12:46will you hold his hand?
12:48Look, this is not up to me,
12:51my party,
12:53there is a group here,
12:55our working committee is working,
12:58the core committee is working.
13:00If such situations arise,
13:02then we will also think about it.
13:04That will also happen,
13:06which will be in the interest of the public,
13:08which will be in the interest of the public.
13:10At the end of the day,
13:12we only have to think about the public and our Jammu and Kashmir.
13:14How will our Jammu and Kashmir remain safe?
13:16How can we restore our identity that has been snatched from us?
13:20How can we fight for it?
13:21How can we fight for it?
13:23Keeping your personal interests,
13:25your personal fights aside,
13:27we have to think about Jammu and Kashmir,
13:29we have to think about our people.
13:31For that, if Ishfaq Jabbar has to make a sacrifice not once,
13:34but ten times,
13:36I will never back down.
13:38One last question, Mr. Ishfaq,
13:40which side is the wind of Gandharwal facing?
13:42Is it towards Sonwar or Gandharwal?
13:44Look, you must have seen it yourself from the morning.
13:47All the rallies that Mr. Umar did,
13:51you must have seen the same people in Manigam,
13:55you must have seen the same people in Yarmukam,
13:57you must have seen the same people in Lahr,
13:59you must have seen the same people in Raipura.
14:01There will be a difference of eight to ten people.
14:03You must have seen it yourself when the nomination form was filled.
14:07You must have seen it that day as well.
14:09I can't say that
14:12they will think that Mr. Ishfaq is arrogant.
14:15That's why I leave it to the people and the situation.
14:19The people have the power.
14:21The people will decide.
14:23I won't say much on this.
14:25Thank you, Mr. Ishfaq.
14:27This was Mr. Ishfaq with us,
14:29who is fighting against Umar Abdullah
14:31with Gandharwal Conscience.
14:33With cameraman Irfan Shah,
14:35Izhar Ali, for One India in Gandharwal.