Troubles pour in for Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over phone tapping charges

SRINAGAR: With charges of phone tapping allegedly ordered by Omar Abdullah, it’s raining trouble for the young CM. Sources said the decision to tap phones was allegedly taken at Gupkar by the same cabal of cronies and advisors who have so deftly handled things so far.

Omar’s reaction as has always been to hit out at those who question him, saying, “The PDP is tutoring witnesses,” and the media is on a “witch-hunt.” But the people grinning from ear to ear in Srinagar are, ironically, members of his own party, the National Conference, in cafes and living rooms, watching each new disaster with glee.

The scions of old NC families, ignored and humiliated for the past three years, are sensing vengeance. There are several versions floating in Srinagar of what exactly happened in Omar’s house that fateful evening. As are stories about how close Syed Mohammed Yousuf was to the Abdullahs.

Many here see Omar’s strained relationship with his father, Farooq Abdullah, as the main reason for the latest incident. Having nixed his father’s bid for CM’s chair, Omar has sidelined almost everyone associated with Farooq.
“Omar rejected his father’s politics, his ways and is associates. The result is the party has become the person. NC is Omar and Omar is NC,” said a party old timer.

According to one version, September 29 was another such durbar. Ushered into Omar’s presence, three men listened to the verdict. It was only when Yousuf, the man who had taken the money for Farooq Abdullah (an allegation that has not been substantiated) insisted on waiting for instructions from Farooq, that things went out of control.

The CM’s reaction was not to pick up the phone and call his father ; it was to dial for cops. The nightmare that unfolded has changed very little. Eight days later, the word from Gupkar is still the same: the death was a mere accident in the path of moral righteousness. PDP’s questions are answered by abuses and threats of defamation cases.

The separatists are surprisingly quiet. They have spent years railing against the system and made speeches about custodial deaths but maintain a distance from Omar’s controversies. Their mortal fear is the PDP, which they suspect could be a lot more nimble in dealing with the Hurriyat.

NC’s old guard too is watching. They don’t want Omar to be replaced. The Abdullah name is their lifeline. What they want is a sobered Omar, ready to receive their counsel, willing to let them have a share of power. The appointment of Farooq’s younger brother Mustafa Kamal as party general secretary and the talk of reviving NC’s traditional headquarter Mujahid Manzil in downtown Srinagar, have been appreciated. Their calculations are that at least one of CM’s advisors is consumed in this whirlwind.