Article 370 of the Indian constitution was invoked in January 1950 to the state of J&k and then was unilaterally revoked in August 2019 by the centre. Article 370 ensured special priviledges for the people of the state of J&K. All the politicial parties of J&K despite sharing no common grounds are all in agreement over the return of Article 370.
Now 7 years after its revocation Farooq Abdullah insists its restoration remains high on agenda while strongly reacting against the opposition.
National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said his party’s position on Article 370 is “non-negotiable” and accused opposition parties of lying to survive politically.
Reacting to criticism over his party’s silence on the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, the former chief minister said, “Why they criticise? That is their job. If they don’t do their job, how will they survive? They can lie, they can say anything.”
Speaking to news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) Dr Farooq Abdullah asserted that his party would not back down from its stand on the repealed constitutional provision.
“Our party is running the way we want to run it. And we won’t back down. We will not bow down. We will not retreat from our position on Article 370,” he said.
When asked about the twin blasts in Punjab, the National Conference president downplayed the incidents.
“There are always blasts in India. It’s nothing new. Don’t worry,” he said. (KNS)
Farooq Abdullah’s previous comments
Earlier Farooq Abdullah had said that restoring Article 370 remains central to the agenda of the Jammu and Kashmir NC, declaring there would be no compromise on the issue.
While Speaking at a public gathering in Budgam, the veteran leader had said the party would continue its campaign to safeguard the rights and dignity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He emphasised that the demand for reinstating Article 370, revoked by the Centre in 2019, remained non-negotiable.
Abdullah also addressed concerns around governance in the Union Territory, stating that a dual administrative system would not serve its long-term stability. He argued that an elected government must be allowed to function without undue interference, warning that parallel authority structures could create confusion and hinder decision-making.
Highlighting the party’s legacy, he credited the leadership of Sheikh Abdullah with ushering in transformative land reforms that granted ownership rights to farmers and significantly reduced poverty and inequality.
He alleged that the constitutional safeguards once enjoyed by Jammu and Kashmir had been steadily weakened over time before being entirely removed in 2019. He also criticised the role of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party in that process.
Reiterating his party’s position, Abdullah cautioned against what he described as misleading narratives and insisted that the struggle for restoring constitutional rights would continue under all circumstances.
