name	Omar Abdullah عمر عبدالله
birth date	March 10, 1970
birth place	Rochford, Essex, United Kingdom
residence	Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
office1	Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
term start1	05 January 2009
predecessor1	President's Rule
successor1	Incumbent
office2	Minister of State for External Affairs
primeminister2	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
term start2	23 July 2001
term end2	23 December 2002
predecessor2	U V Krishnam Raju
successor2	Digvijay Singh
party	Jammu and Kashmir National Conference
spouse	Payal Nath
children	Zahir and Zamir (sons)
religion	Islam
twitter	@abdullah_omar }}

Omar Abdullah (, ), born 10 March 1970 in United Kingdom, is an Indian Kashmiri politician and the scion of Kashmir's 'first family', the Abdullah family who became the 11th and the youngest Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir after forming a government in coalition with the Congress party, on January 5, 2009.

Prior to this he was a member of 14th Lok Sabha, representing Srinagar constituency of Jammu and Kashmir, India. He was a Union Minister of State for External affairs in Atal Bihari Vajpayee's NDA government, from July 23, 2001 to December 23, 2002. He resigned from NDA government in October 2002 to concentrate on party work. Prime Minister tried to convince him to continue his work. However, on 23 December 2002 his resignation was accepted by President A P J Abdul Kalam.

Omar joined politics in 1998, as a Lok Sabha member, a feat he repeated in subsequent three elections and also remained a Union minister; he took on the mantle of National Conference from his father in 2002, though he lost his own seat of Ganderbal during the 2002 state assembly elections, and so did his party, the political mandate; four years later, he fought once again from the very seat and won in the 2008 Kashmir Elections.

Early life and education

Omar Abdullah was born 10 March 1970. He is the son of Farooq Abdullah and grandson of Sheikh Abdullah, all three of whom have been Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir. His mother Mollie, a British Christian, and a nurse by profession, was not in favor of him joining politics. Early on he studied at the Burn Hall School, Srinagar. He later studied at the exclusive institution The Lawrence School, Sanawar. He is an alumnus of prestigious Sydenham College, Mumbai (where he did his B.Com.). After that he joined the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, for an MBA, although he did not complete it.

He married Payal Nath, daughter of an Army officer, Major General Ram Nath from Delhi on September 1, 1994, and the couple have had two sons, Zahir and Zamir, hence. His sister, Sarah Abdullah is married to Sachin Pilot, son of Rajesh Pilot.

Political career

In 1998, at the age of 29, Omar Abdullah was elected to 12th Lok Sabha, becoming the youngest minister. In 1998-99, he was a member of both the Committee on Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Tourism's Consultative Committee. In 1999, he was re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha (2nd term). On October 13, 1999 he took oath as Union Minister of State, Commerce and Industry. On July 22, 2001, he became the youngest Union Minister, when he was made Union Minister of State for External affairs. He resigned from the post on December 23, 2002, to concentrate on party work.

On June 23, 2002, he became the President of the National Conference party, replacing his father, Farooq Abdullah.

He lost his Ganderbal seat in the Kashmir assembly elections held in September–October 2002.

Abdullah was re-elected as the National Conference party's president in 2006.

In March 2006, much to the disapproval of the centre, Omar Abdullah had a one-on-one meeting with Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharaf, in Islamabad. This was the first meeting of its kind between a mainstream politician from Jammu & Kashmir and the Pakistani government, thereby re-enforcing Omar's growing commitment to the solution of the Jammu & Kashmir cause. Omar received a rousing reception by thousands of Kashmiris upon his return.

On July 9, 2007, Omar escaped a bid on his life when suspected militants threw two rifle grenades targeted at him. The incident happened when Omar was interacting with party workers at a party leader's house.

On July 22, 2008, Omar gave a passionate speech during the 2008 Lok Sabha vote of confidence, which was praised by almost all quarters, and even won him fans on the internet. He was also seen briefly, playing himself, in director Apoorva Lakhia’s film, Mission Istanbul (2008), based on international terrorism.

After the 2008 Kashmir Elections, the National Conference won the maximum number of seats, and formed a coalition government with the Congress party, and Omar was sworn in as the 11th Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on January 5, 2009 at the General Zoravar Singh Stadium in the University of Jammu, Jammu, raising hope amongst the people of Jammu and Kashmir who had been reeling under insurgency and violence since 1989.

Omar Abdullah on 28 July 2009 submitted his resignation to Governor Narinder Nath Vohra over sex scandal allegations against him by the opposition PDP. His resignation, however, was rejected by Governor Vohra.

Criticism

After Abdullah assumed the office of Chief Minister on 5 January 2009, the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir deteriorated. Within his first six months in the office, Indian Paramilitary Forces, specifically the Central Reserve Police Force, were accused of killing at least fifteen civilians, including three women whom they were also accused of raping. The first killing took place barely a few hundred meters away from the residence of Omar Abdullah, only two days after he was sworn in as Chief Minister of the state. The victim, Abdul Rashid Rishi, 45, a deaf man from South Kashmir’s Pahalgam, was shot dead by the Central Reserve Police Force on January 7, 2009. The killings at Bomai, Khaigam, Baramulla and the rape and murder of two young women in Shopian invoked severe public anger, and resulted in valley-wide protests, and reiterated demands for freedom and removal of Indian Paramilitary Forces from Jammu and Kashmir.

In the subsequent days, hundreds of protesters, including opposition leaders, were beaten up, and many were arrested or detained under a controversial Public Safety Act. On 8 July 2009 alone, PTI reported that "...police has arrested over 320 people..." who according to police were "fomenting trouble". Police slapped minor charges of disturbing peace to serious offences like that under section 307 (attempt of murder) on those arrested. An editorial in Greater Kashmir noted about this situation that "...ever since the new government took over the state administration has not only been handling every situation ineptly but also ridiculously... (administration) has been detaining and slapping Public Safety Acts against the voices of dissent and disagreement on absurd and ludicrous grounds that have made it a laughing stock within and outside the state...". According to official statistics, 554 persons were detained under PSA in Jammu and Kashmir from January 2008 to August 2009. Ironically, the Law and parliamentary affairs minister, Ali Mohammad Sagar said that invoking of PSA is necessary for running the affairs of the State.

Omar Abdullah was also accused of covering up the rape and murder of two young women in Shopian, which Separatists alleged were perpetrated by Indian Paramilitary Forces. A. G. Noorani, a prominent lawyer and a commentator on regional affairs stated that Abdullah "needed prodding by the Centre even to order registration of a First Information Report... this testifies the gravity of Omar Abdullah’s lapses... (and) reveals the mindset that he will follow the tradition firmly established by his father, Farooq Abdullah..."

Conversely, there have been claims that the two women who were found dead were not raped and/or murdered. The CBI has said in its chargesheet filed before a court in Srinagar that Aasiya was a virgin and that both women drowned. The CBI investigation has declared that doctors in the district hospital had fiddled with the port-mortem report and fabricated evidence to implicate the security forces. The case is still ongoing.

Taking a sharp dig at Omar Abdullah’s claim on micro-blogging site Twitter that not a single innocent person or minor from Kashmir was behind the bars, Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani said the chief minister had “surpassed Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels in dissipating lies.”

Misdemeanors and/or cases of abuse of power/ corruption

Mr Abdullah was accused of using the state helicopter for personal use costing the exchequer to the tune of INR 120 million (USD 2.6 million). It was brought to light by the state government's civil aviation departments in response to a RTI application filed by a local resident. Opposition parties, without exception, criticized this rank abuse of authority where Abdullah used the scarce resource of the state to ferry him to different ''picnic'' destinations of the state- a state which is considered as one of the poorest in India.

References

External links

Official biographical sketch in Parliament of India website

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Old Sanawarians Category:University of Mumbai alumni Category:Alumni of the University of Strathclyde Category:Indian Muslims Category:Indian politicians Category:Jammu and Kashmir politicians Category:Jammu and Kashmir MLAs Category:14th Lok Sabha members Category:Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Category:Kashmiri people Category:People from Jammu and Kashmir Category:Jammu & Kashmir National Conference politicians

es:Omar Abdullah fr:Omar Abdullah hi:उमर अब्दुल्ला kn:ಉಮರ್ ಅಬ್ದುಲ್ಲಾ ks:उमर अब्दुल्ला mr:ओमर अब्दुल्ला sv:Omar Abdullah ta:உமர் அப்துல்லா

Mohammad Afzal, also known as Afzal Guru, was convicted of conspiracy in the December 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament and was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of India in 2004. The sentence was scheduled to be carried out on 20 October 2006. Afzal was given a stay of execution and remains on death row.

The case

Eighty witnesses were examined for the prosecution and ten were examined for defense. The judgment mentions: :"The incident, which resulted in heavy casualties, has shaken the entire nation and the collective conscience of the society will be satisfied if the capital punishment is awarded to the offender."

The prosecution's case

The attack was conducted jointly by the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET) and the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JEM) Kashmiri militant separatist groups. Seven members of the security forces, including a female constable, were killed, as were the five still incompletely identified men who carried out the attack.

Afzal's cell phone number was found on each of the attackers, written on the backs of their unsealed paper IDs, in an identical hand, according to the Indian government's prosecutors in the case. There were also cell phones and SIM cards on the attackers, and it was Afzal's cell phone records.

The police case was based on evidence that the individuals who participated on the terrorist attack on Indian Parliament on 13 December 2001 had been in contact with Afzal in Srinagar just prior to the operation, and on an apparent confession made by the accused.

Pressure for clemency

There is an appeal to issue clemency to Afzal from various human rights groups including political groups in Kashmir, who believe that Afzal Guru did not receive a fair trial and was subject to a frame up of corrupt and inefficient police work. Human rights activists in various parts of India and the world have demanded reprieve as they believe that the trial was flawed. Arundhati Roy and Praful Bidwai castigated the trial and argued that Afzal has been denied natural justice. Accusations of human rights violations have been made by many.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Indian National Congress, Communist and local political groups voiced their support of clemency for Afzal. It is alleged many have done so to appease Muslim voters in India.

Ram Jethmalani holds that it is completely within the President's power to commute the Death sentence and is not a mercy plea. He says, "It’s a misnomer to call it a mercy petition. It leads to total misunderstanding of the constitutional power. The constitutional power is that the President has the power to disagree with the Supreme Court both with its findings of fact and law."

But other are of the view that such a sweeping Constitutional power cannot be given to the President inasmuch as it would subvert the concept of justice enshrined in the Constitution.

The Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party president and MP, Mehbooba Mufti commented that the Centre should pardon Afzal if Pakistan accepted the clemency appeal for Sarabjit Singh.

Ms. Mufti, said that if clemency appeals were made for Sarabjit citing his Indian nationality, voices should also be raised for Afzal for "he too is an Indian citizen". "Two citizens of India cannot be treated with different yardsticks" she had said.

However, the All India Anti-Terrorist Front Chairman M.S. Bitta has urged the President of India not to accept any clemency pleas on Afzal's behalf. He warned that his organisation would launch agitations if Afzal was pardoned. He also criticised statements of various political leaders and blamed them for "encouraging activities of militants in Jammu and Kashmir".

An ''India Today'' poll in late October showed that 78% of Indians supported the death penalty for Afzal

On 12 November 2006, the former Deputy Prime Minister of India, Mr. Lal Krishna Advani criticized the delay in carrying out the death sentence on Guru for the Parliament terror attack, saying, "I fail to understand the delay. They have increased my security. But what needs to be done immediately is to carry out the court's orders".

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has severely criticized Arundhati Roy. BJP spokespoerson Prakash Javadekar said:

"Those who are supporting Afzal by demanding that he should not be hanged are not only acting against public sentiment in the country but are giving a fillip to terrorist morale,"

On 23rd of June 2010, the Ministry of Home Affairs has recommended the President's office to reject the mercy petition. On the 7th of January 2011, a whisleblowing site indianleaks.in has leaked a document which states that the mercy petition file is not with President of India. This was confirmed by Home Minister P. Chidambaram in New Delhi on 23 Feb 2011.

On the 10th of August 2011 the home ministry of India rejected the mercy petition and sent a letter to the President of India recommending the death penalty .

See also

2001 Indian Parliament attack

Maulana Masood Azhar

Indian Airlines Flight 814

Ajmal Amir

References

External links

Bitta urges President not to pardon Afzal

Clemency-seekers weakened Afzal's defence

Terror needs direct response

Afzal, Mohammad Afzal, Mohammed Category:Living people

hi:अफ़्ज़ल गुरू ta:அஃப்சல் குரு

name	Dr. Farooq Abdullah
office	President Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
term start	1980
successor	Incumbent
birth date	October 21, 1937
birth place	Srinagar, Kashmir, British India
constituency	Srinagar
Office	Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
Primeminister	Manmohan Singh
Term start	28 May 2009
Predecessor	Vilas Muttemwar
office1	Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
term start1	8 September 1982
term end1	2 July 1984
predecessor1	Sheikh Abdullah
successor1	Ghulam Mohammad Shah
term start2	07 November 1986
term end2	19 January 1990
predecessor2	President's Rule
successor2	President's Rule
term start3	9 October 1996
term end3	18 October 2002
predecessor3	President's Rule
successor3	Mufti Mohammad Sayeed
nationality	Indian
party	Jammu & Kashmir National Conference
spouse	Molly Abdullah
children	Omar Abdullah & 3 daughters
residence	Srinagar, Kashmir
alma mater	Tyndale Biscoe School
religion	Islam
signature	}}

Farooq Abdullah (Kashmiri: फ़ारूक़ अब्दुल्लाह (Devanagari), فاروق عبدالله (Nastaleeq)), born 21 October 1937 in Soura, Jammu & Kashmir, India), is the son of Sheikh Abdullah, is a doctor of medicine and has served as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on several occasions since 1982. He is married to Molly, a nurse of British origin. Their son, Omar Abdullah is also involved in state and national politics, and has been a member of the Lok Sabha and is the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

Abdullah was a novice in the political arena of Jammu and Kashmir when he was appointed president of the National Conference in August, 1981. His main qualification was that he was the son and heir of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference leader Sheikh Abdullah. After his father's death in 1982, Farooq Abdullah became the Chief Minister of the state. In 1984, the Abdullah government was dismissed by the Governor and replaced with a pro-Congress government under Ghulam Mohammad Shah. In 1986, that government was dismissed and a new National Conference–Congress government was sworn in with Abdullah as the Chief Minister. A new election was held in 1987 and the National Conference–Congress alliance won the election amid allegations of fraud. This period saw a rise in militancy in the state, with the return of trained militants from Pakistan and incidents that included the kidnapping of the daughter of the Union Home Minister. Subsequently, the Abdullah government was dismissed once again and the state was brought under President's rule. In 1996, Abdullah was once again sworn in as Chief Minister of the state, his fifth time.

In 2002, Abdullah was elected to Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir for his first six year term. He was subsequently re-elected in 2009. Abdullah joined the United Progressive Alliance government as a Cabinet Minister.

References

External links

Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Rajya Sabha Profile

Dr. Farooq Abdullah, 15th Lok Sabha Profile

{{s-ttl | title = Minister of New and Renewable Energy | years = 2009 – present}}

Category:Jammu and Kashmir politicians Category:Kashmiri people Category:Indian politicians Category:Members of the Rajya Sabha Category:Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Category:15th Lok Sabha members Category:Members of the Cabinet of India Category:Living people Category:1936 births Category:Jammu & Kashmir National Conference politicians

es:Farooq Abdullah ks:फारूख अब्‍दुल्‍ला ml:ഫാറൂഖ് അബ്ദുല്ല mr:फारुख अब्दुल्ला sv:Farooq Abdullah ta:பரூக் அப்துல்லா