SRINAGAR: Party chairman Omar Abdullah said on Thursday that the National Conference has hired the Supreme Court’s top solicitors to argue against the repeal of Article 370 and expressed his optimism that the judges will be persuaded by their arguments. “We are battling there in the hopes of finding justice. We made sure to cover every possible angle, hired the best attorneys, and everyone was pleased with how they performed. We anticipate that the judges will be persuaded by our arguments during the proceedings. We are waiting, but it will continue, he informed the local press. Speaking to his party’s supporters earlier at the National Conference (NC) headquarters in Nawa-i-Subah, Abdullah claimed that choosing Kapil Sibal and Gopal Subramanium to represent the party before the Supreme Court was the best decision that could have been made. “We selected the top attorneys. Two of the top five solicitors in the nation are Kapil Sibal and Gopal Subramanium. God controls whether you win or lose. Humans can only attempt, and we searched every possible avenue. We should now ask God for prosperity, the NC vice-president remarked.When questioned about the Jammu and Kashmir government’s decision to remove the name of NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, also known as Sher-e-Kashmir, from public structures like the convention centre here on the banks of Dal Lake, Abdullah responded that no one can take his grandfather’s name out of the hearts of the people. “You can erase his name from the structures, but not from peoples’ hearts.” It won’t matter if the SKICC, the cricket stadium, or the hospitals remove Sher-e-Kashmir from their names. The truth cannot be hid. The CJI has brought this fact back before the public, he claimed. The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir was making reference to statements made by Chief Justice of India Justice D Y Chandrachud during the hearing of petitions in the Supreme Court contesting the repeal of Article 370. “You take away the name, but tomorrow a new government will take over and restore it. But keep in mind, Sher-e-Kashmir’s name won’t be forgotten. His name-erasing individuals will depart from this place, and nobody will remember them. They won’t be remembered here, but Sher-e-Kashmir’s name will live on forever in the minds of the populace, he said.When Ghulam Nabi Azad, the leader of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), claimed that most Muslims in Kashmir were converted from Hinduism, Abdullah responded, “I don’t know in what context he stated it or why or whom he meant to make pleased by stating so. The former chief minister responded that the current administration has “failed” to finish recruitments in Jammu and Kashmir when asked about the administration hiring another organisation, TCS, to conduct recruitment exams for various posts advertised by the Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Recruitment Board (JKSSRB). “You failed, whoever you got. The investigation into Aptech is still ongoing, and no list has been created. You are now including TCS in this. No list was completed prior to 2019? Were the hiring processes not open and honest? People weren’t recruited, right? Here, several governments conducted hirings. What prevents recruitment from happening under the governor’s rule? Abdallah enquired. “Getting TCS was not necessary. Strengthen the JKSSRB. Bring in the appropriate personnel. The procedure will be correct if you accomplish that, he continued. After claims of anomalies in the management of the recruitment exams, the Jammu and Kashmir administration cancelled the police sub-inspector recruitment process in July and turned the investigation over to the CBI. In the course of the Fire and Emergency Services tests, similar accusations surfaced. Aptech, the organisation in charge of the examination procedure, came under fire.
