Indian opposition parties back Farooq Abdullah’s demand to restore IIOJK’s statehood
New Delhi: National Conference President Farooq Abdullah’s renewed call for the restoration of statehood to Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) has received support from Indian opposition parties, including Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
According to Kashmir Media Service, Farooq Abdullah, while interacting with a delegation of party functionaries from south Kashmir, urged the BJP-led Indian government to honour its commitment to restore statehood. “This is not just about politics; it is about justice, equality and the dignity of the people,” he said, warning that New Delhi would ultimately “regret” its decisions regarding IIOJK. He pointed out that successive Indian governments had failed to win the confidence of the Kashmiris due to their “security-centric approach.” “The continued delay in statehood restoration only erodes faith in the democratic process,” he remarked.
Congress leader Udit Raj, in a media interview, strongly backed Farooq Abdullah’s demand. “We support this, and it should have been reinstated much earlier. Although elections have been held [in IIOJK], policing and administration remain with the Lieutenant Governor. In that sense, J&K has been betrayed. Full statehood should be restored without delay,” he said.
Congress MP Tariq Anwar echoed similar views, calling the denial of statehood an “injustice”. “What Farooq Abdullah is saying is 100 per cent correct. For the first time in history, a state has been downgraded to a Union Territory. The Centre had promised to restore statehood after some time, but till now it has not fulfilled its word,” Anwar stated.
RJD spokesperson MrityunjayTiwari also lent support to NC president’s position. “This has been his demand for years…. There has been a consistent demand for granting full statehood. The Centre should give serious consideration to it,” he said.
