A senior PDP leader asked National Conference president Omar Abdullah to come clean on a photo showing him with Malegaon accused Dayanand Pandey while Abdullah said being seen in the same function with somebody accused of criminal activity does not tantamount to guilt."What was he (Omar) doing in Haridwar with a person who is accused of terrorism?" PDP leader Tariq Hamid Karra said displaying a photograph of the National Conference leader with Pandey.Karra claimed the photograph was taken in Haridwar. "Had he gone there to seek his blessings or there was something fishy about it?""The photograph is evidence that there is something that needs to be probed thoroughly," he added.Commenting on the photograph displayed by Karra at a press conference, Omar told a press conference that the photograph was taken at Durga Nag temple trust here in 2002-03. "My father (Farooq Abdullah) who had helped in setting up of a dormitory in the trust was invited for the function. Since he was not going to be in the city on that day, he asked me to attend the function on his behalf. I don't think being seen in the same function with somebody accused of criminal activity tantamounts to guilt," he said.Omar said he was ready to face probe by any agency, including CBI and joint parliamentary committee, as he was confident that he was not guilty."If I am found guilty, I will quit politics the same day. I will never appear before the people of Jammu and Kashmir again," he added.Omar said, "the whole matter should be handed over to CBI for a transparent probe. I am confident that I have not done anything wrong".Omar said he has instructed his lawyers to go through the contents of the press conference addressed by the PDP leader and initiate legal proceedings, if required."If any allegations have been made against me or my party we will issue legal notices to the person who addressed the press conference and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti," he said.The National Conference president said the PDP leadership was making ‘wild’ allegations against his party and leaders, which was an indication of the ‘frustration borne out of public wrath they are facing’."I sympathise with them as they are not able to go anywhere without facing the ire of the public. I am now more re-assured and satisfied that their (PDP) star is on the descent," he said.Asked to comment about allegations made by PDP against the Lt Gen (Retd) S K Sinha, Omar said he does not hold brief for him."Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as Chief Minister approved the name of Gen Sinha when the panel was presented to him. If his party has any allegation against him, it should be probed along with other aspects of the matter," he said.Asked about allegations against National Conference using the name of Lashker-e-Toiba (LET) militant outfit to threaten rival workers, Omar said, "Unfortunately, it is case of pot calling the kettle black".Not long ago, there were allegations of links between a senior PDP leader and militants responsible for Akshardam attack, he said.
