SRINAGAR: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday reiterated his party’s demand for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional and democratic rights, saying the people deserved dignity and justice within the framework of the Constitution of India.
He was addressing a National Conference convention at Naseem Bagh held to mark the 26th death anniversary of Begum Akbar Jehan.
Abdullah said the National Conference had consistently urged successive Central governments to ensure justice for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, alleging that Article 370 had been progressively weakened instead. Referring to former Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao, he recalled Rao’s statement that “sky is the limit” for granting autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir within the Constitution.
The NC president also claimed that he had conveyed to the Prime Minister in 2021 that a trust deficit existed between New Delhi and the people of Jammu and Kashmir, adding that there had been no significant progress in addressing the issue.
Stating that Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India, Abdullah said the party was seeking the restoration of the region’s dignity, constitutional safeguards and democratic rights within the constitutional framework.
He said the National Conference would continue to work for the rights of the people and described the party as one committed to the welfare of the poor and marginalised sections of society.
Abdullah also alleged attempts to weaken the National Conference through political defections and asserted that the party would continue its struggle for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional, democratic and political rights.
Earlier, special prayers, Quran Khawani, Fateha Khawani and floral tributes were offered at the mausoleums of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and Begum Akbar Jehan to mark her 26th death anniversary. The party said similar commemorative programmes were held at several places across Jammu and Kashmir, including the Jammu division and the Union Territory of Ladakh.
