Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Lone on Saturday strongly criticized the government’s decision to take over 215 Falah-e-Aam Trust (FAT) schools, saying it would hurt the education of thousands of children.
Speaking to reporters as per news agency KINS, Lone said political parties should set aside their differences and unite to protect students’ futures. “We condemn the takeover of FAT schools. These institutions have thousands of children enrolled. Don’t make their careers a theatre for politics. Education should not be obstructed,” he said.
Giving historical context, Lone pointed out that the law enabling such action was first introduced during Dr. Farooq Abdullah’s government in 1983, and was used for the first time in 1990 during Governor Jagmohan’s rule when Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was Union Home Minister. He said the legal process for taking over institutions was further laid down through an SRO in 2010 when the present Chief Minister was in office.
“This is not something that happened overnight. Kashmiri parties have been part of the framework, and the Centre has implemented it now,” he remarked, accusing parties of hypocrisy. “Today the National Conference implemented it, but tomorrow, when they are out of power, they will condemn it again. This makes politics look like a joke.”
Lone stressed that instead of an outright takeover, the government could have addressed concerns through monitoring. “If there are national security concerns, they should be dealt with transparently. But don’t jeopardize the education of children,” he urged.(KINS)
