Kashmir unrest: PDP-BJP govt pursuing policy to choke Valley's youths, says Omar Abdullah

Srinagar: The PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir was pursuing a repressive policy to choke the local youth, opposition National Conferences’ working President Omar Abdullah said on Tuesday. [caption id=“attachment_3524201” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Omar Abdullah[/caption] Addressing a party youth convention in Srinagar, Abdullah said: “Prevailing uncertainty and the confrontational approach of the PDP-BJP government in the state has created a sense of despair and hopelessness among the youth. Faulting the central government for its failure to reach out and “build bridges of reconciliation and peace” which has led to the “political vacuum”, he said that “in this grim environment our youth is being robbed of their right to dream of a dignified and prosperous future”. “The youth feel betrayed after promises made to them in 2014 were either broken or unapologetically abandoned,” said the former chief minister, adding promises were made during the elections and votes were sought for specific purposes. These promises were however “bartered without any inhibition for personal and family empowerment of a few people while our hardworking, honest and sincere young men and women were left to the mercy of uncertainty and turmoil. “Trust deficit has widened the gap to a level where skepticism far overshadows the rhetoric of the state government.”