Hopeful that facts will come to fore about attack on me: Dr Farooq

Jammu, Mar 13: National Conference (NC) President and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Friday reiterated the demand for restoration of statehood while asserting that it would improve the situation in J&K.

The NC president, while responding to media queries in Jammu, also dismissed the allegations of the man, who made an abortive bid on his (Farooq’s) life, during a wedding function in Jammu on Wednesday, March 11, against him (Farooq) by asserting that the probe, as assured by the Union Home Minister would bring all facts to the fore.

The former chief minister thanked all those who condemned the attack on him and expressed wholehearted support to him.

In the same breath, he said that the statehood restoration would improve the situation in J&K.

“I thank all those who have condemned this incident, expressed solidarity with me and have asked the government to look into it. Now it is for the government to investigate it thoroughly. The government should restore the statehood here in J&K. Early they restore it, it can and it will improve the situation in J&K,” the NC president said.

About the allegations levelled by the accused describing Abdullah as “the biggest terrorist” and reiterating that he had been “waiting for the last 20 years to kill him”, the former chief minister said, “What can I answer to that?”

“He (accused) knows what his issue is. For the past 20 years, he has been harbouring animosity against me… I fail to understand it. What problem he has with me… is beyond my comprehension. Those investigating it will have all the information about him. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t know him,” he said.

The NC president said that the investigation would unravel the truth.

“Now when they (Police) are investigating. Home Minister Sahib has assured me that they will go to the depth of this case. I’m hopeful that all the facts will come to the fore and will come to know everything about the incident, its background and also who is behind it (incident),” Abdullah said.

Notably, a day after he made an abortive bid on NC president, the city judge on March 12 sent the accused Kamal Singh Jamwal to five-day Police remand.

While he was being taken to the court, Kamal Singh, while responding to media queries, had alleged, “I wanted to kill him. I’ve my own personal reason. Farooq Abdullah is the biggest terrorist. No one asked me to do it.”

During his Police interrogation immediately after his arrest after the incident on Wednesday night, the accused stated, “I had been aiming to target him (Abdullah) for the past 20 years.”