Omar fighting difficult battle,doing his best: Farooq

Omar is fighting a difficult battle against all odds. Under the circumstances he is doing the best that anyone can. He needs all the support,including that of the Central government and Congress leadership,if he has to tackle the problem. I expect all parties,particularly those who are in the government,to support him unequivocally. Otherwise,I fear,Kashmir would be a lost cause, said Abdullah.

All the Jamp;K Congress leaders who met the PM on Tuesday and AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday were part of the Ghulam Nabi Azad camp in the state party unit. Asked if he saw Azads hand in destablising the state government,Abdullah said: I dont think he would do such a thing. But what I know is that anybody who tries to work against the state government at this juncture is actually working against the interests of the state and the country. Inter-party and intra-party politics must not dictate the actions of any leader or group.

On Wednesday,a group of senior Congress leaders,including legislators,former ministers and parliamentarians,had met the PM and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to express their views on the ongoing situation in the state. They had raised questions over Omars handling of the situation.

The remedial measures suggested by the group included keeping the Assembly in suspended animation for some time and putting the state under Governors Rule as well as a change of guard in the state Congress.