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#NotMyRepresentative: Kashmiri Shia Muslims call out Imran Ansari for claiming to represent them

Srinagar: Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) politician, who is now a part of Peoples Conference (PC) Imran Raza Ansari’s statement has generated a strong response online.

With netizens using a hashtag #NotMyRepresentative, many have criticised Ansari for claiming to be a representative of the Kashmiri Shia Muslim Community.

Addressing a press conference, Ansari who sat besides PC Chairman Sajjad Lone, questioned the source of multiple houses Abdullah family owns across the world.

“Who was Sheikh Abdullah? A teacher from Soura. What did Omar Abdullah inherit from his grandfather?” Ansari asked.

“Today Abdullah family owns a house in London, a house in south France, a house in New Delhi, and a house in Gurgaon besides the houses at Gupkar road. Omar and Farooq Abdullah have two to three luxuries cars worth crores of rupees and wear clothes worth lakhs. In Delhi they are referred to as ‘Sheikhs of Kashmir’ and they own property worth thousands of crores. Where did all that money come from? It is the proverbial rags to riches story.”

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Referring to the accusation against him of looting banks, he said, “as a businessman I have kept my property as a mortgage against the bank loan,” adding that he ‘belongs to a family’, and that he “represents a community where his followers gift him anything from Rs 10 to Rs 10 lakh”.

This comment has particularly angered many who have taken to the social media to express their displeasure over the comment.

One online poll which has garnered over 1500 responses, has an overwhelming majority of people reiterating that they do not consider Imran Ansari as a representative of the Shia Muslim community of Kashmir.

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I am a #Kashmiri #Shia and #ImranAnsari does not represent my community.#Notmyrepresentative

— Mirza Arsalan Rafiq (@MirzaArsalanr) November 25, 2018

“By Allah’s grace I am a Shia, but my representative is my Grand Leader, Syed Ali Khamnai (M.Z.Z). I am proud this Grand Ayatollah is my representative. Respected Imran Raza Ansari #NotMyRepresentative,” another netizen wrote on twitter.

 

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