Ruling National Conference’s president Dr Farooq Abdullah has said the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is not a concession but a constitutional right.
Addressing a meeting of the party workers in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, the former chief minister demanded an immediate return of full statehood to the region with full constitutional guarantees.
The demands were also reiterated by the present Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, during PM Modi’s inauguration and flagging of the Vande Bharat Express train from Katra on June 6.
“Restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood is not a concession but a constitutional right. Statehood is not a gift; it is the people’s right, long overdue and repeatedly promised by the ruling government,” Farooq said.
He assured party workers that the NC government in Jammu and Kashmir is prioritising these challenges and demanding the immediate return of the constitutional rights to J&K. He also criticised the Union Territory status of Jammu and Kashmir as a bottleneck to real governance.
“J&K is vast, not just in land but in its layered culture. Governing it under the limited framework of a union territory is like trying to fly a kite without wind,” he said.
The Centre, on August 5, 2019, revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and downgraded and bifurcated the erstwhile state into separate Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
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