Former Jammu-Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s plans to give a talk in University of Berkeley in the United States (US) on Thursday, was stalled by a group of protesters, mostly consisting of Kashmiri Americans. A woman who was the part of the protesting group called Omar Abdullah and his father Farooq Abdullah a war criminal. The protesting group, which also consisted of Kashmiri Pandits interrupted Omar’s speech at the University for his silence on Pakistan-sponsored violence. One of them, a Kashmiri Pandit, said, "
You Talk to me in Kashmiri, I speak better Kashmiri." To which Omar Abdullah replied, "You all ran away." The youth then gave a stinging reply saying, "You forced us out." The Kashmiri Pandits began to leave the state of Jammu-Kashmir in greater numbers in the 1990s during the eruption of militancy, following persecution and threats by radical Islamists and militants. Earlier on April 17, Omar Abdullah took to Twitter and expressed his happiness and excitement about the session.
The session titled “The path forward in Kashmir” was supposed to discuss Kashmir, its complexities and various issues. As per reports doing the rounds, an online campaign was also launched against the University of California, Berkeley for inviting the former Jammu-Kashmir Chief Minister.