Youth of Jammu and Kashmir feels cheated: Omar Abdullah

SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said the youth of the state are being suffocated by the repressive policies of the PDP-BJP government and the looming uncertainty has created a sense of despair and hopelessness among them.

"The Central government's unfortunate failure to reach out and build bridges of reconciliation and peace with our youth has created a political vacuum," he said while addressing a youth convention of National Conference party here.

"The youth of the state are being suffocated by the policies of the present government. The looming uncertainty in the state coupled with the confrontational approach of the PDP-BJP government has created a sense of despair and hopelessness among the youth," he claimed.

Referring to the unrest in the Valley, Omar said that in this grim atmosphere, the youth is being robbed of their right to dream of a dignified and prosperous future.

He said the youth is feeling cheated as promises made to them were either broken or unapologetically abandoned.

"The same promises were then bartered without any inhibitions for personal and familial political empowerment of a few people while our hardworking, honest and sincere young men and women were let down and left to the mercy of uncertainty and turmoil," he said.

Due to this treachery, the trust deficit has been further widened to an extent where scepticism on the ground far overshadows the utility of any rhetoric the Government has to offer, the NC working president said.