A sharp political row has erupted between the National Conference (NC) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) after NC President Farooq Abdullah criticised Mehbooba Mufti's demand for divisional status for the Pir Panjal and Chenab regions, labelling it a revival of the "Dixon Plan."
"It is a Dixon Plan. You might not know that. The Dixon Plan is an old proposal which envisaged division on the basis of the Chenab river, creating a Greater Kashmir Valley on one side of the river and separating this part," Abdullah said while interacting with media persons in Jammu today.
Mehbooba Mufti was quick to respond, accusing the National Conference and the BJP of being on the "same page" when it comes to suppressing the demands of these regions. She countered Abdullah's historical reference with a sharp jab at his own family history.
"I think he has forgotten that his father, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, was arrested in 1953 for his covert support of that very same formula," Mufti said. She argued that labelling legitimate administrative demands as "divisive" was an attempt to silence the marginalised.
"Raising demands for Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley is once again being portrayed as divisive. The PDP does not want to divide Jammu and Kashmir. We are asking for divisional administration because these districts are remote, making it difficult for locals to reach officials with their grievances," she maintained.
The Dixon plan was a formula proposed in September 1950 by Sir Owen Dixon, a UN representative and former chief justice of Australia, aimed at resolving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.
Farooq Abdullah also dismissed recent suggestions by former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu regarding the separation of Jammu from Kashmir.
"Ladakh was separated, and now they want to rejoin J&K. These people are clashing with reality; they are bewakoof (foolish) and nasamajh (ignorant)," Abdullah said, citing Ladakh as a cautionary tale of division.
He further dismissed Mufti's recent criticisms of the Omar Abdullah-led government regarding unemployment. "It's easy to point fingers. I want to ask her, what did she do as Chief Minister? Or what did her father do? When you point one finger at others, don't forget that three fingers point back at you," Abdullah remarked.
