Farooq Abdullah hopes ‘mistake’ on NCTC will be rectified

Union Minister Farooq Abdullah Wednesday said the central government’s proposal to set up a National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) without consulting states was a “mistake”, and hoped it would soon be rectified.

“A mistake has been made and I am sure the centre would hold discussions with the states and sort out the matter,” he told reporters here.

“Terrorism cannot be fought effectively without the centre and the states being on the same wavelength,” he said.

His comments came less than 24 hours after his son and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Tuesday declared that “no discussions were held” between the states and the centre on setting up the NCTC.

Farooq Abdullah was speaking to the media at the conclusion of a meeting of the National Conference legislature party here Wednesday. Farooq is the president of the National Conference, which leads the ruling coalition in the state.

Many states, including two ruled by the central government’s allies – Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and Omar Abdullah of the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir – have opposed the NCTC proposal in its present form.