Geelani episode shameful: Omar

Oct 22, 2010 - AGE CORRESPONDENT |

Srinagar

While the separatists are furious at Syed Ali Shah Geelani being heckled at a seminar in New Delhi by a group of protesters including Kashmiri Pandits, CM Omar Abdullah has expressed his dismay.
“India is a democracy and what some people did with Geelani Sahib at the New Delhi seminar on Thursday goes against the democratic traditions of the country where freedom of speech, no matter how unpalatable, is a right which needs to be respected and protected,” the chief minister said here.
He added that the strength of our democracy is in its values of tolerance and to allow a fearless expression of dissent only strengthens the democratic fabric of the country. The CM further said, “Our democracy is a matured democracy and is capable of absorbing political dissent and diverse view points and so we should provide every individual an opportunity to air his or her opinion in a democratic manner.” He said the right to debate, disagree and reject anybody’s views is also an inherent part of democracy but the rebuttal must be decent and the response and disagreement must be civil and best expressed in a democratic fashion.

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