Srinagar: National Conference (NC) president Dr Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said the party remained committed to inclusive governance, communal harmony and the protection of minority rights in Jammu and Kashmir.
He made the remarks while chairing a meeting of the NC Minority Cell (Kashmir Province) at the party headquarters, Nawa-e-Subha Complex, Srinagar.
According to an NC statement, the meeting was attended by the party’s Additional General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan, Provincial President Kashmir Showkat Mir, Hazratbal MLA Salman Ali Sagar, Youth National Conference Provincial President Mir Mushtaq, Minority Cell Convener Sardar Jagdish Singh Azad and other party functionaries.
Addressing the gathering, Abdullah said the National Conference was founded on the principles of equality, justice, secularism and communal harmony. He said the party’s constitution and the Naya Kashmir manifesto emphasise the protection of minority rights, equal opportunities and adequate representation for all communities.
He said the slogan of “Hindu-Muslim-Sikh unity” continued to represent the core ideology of the party and described it as the true strength and identity of Jammu and Kashmir.
The former chief minister also highlighted what he described as the National Conference’s record in introducing land reforms, expanding educational opportunities, strengthening democratic institutions and promoting social justice and religious freedom.
According to the statement, Abdullah said the party remained committed to preserving the region’s cultural and linguistic diversity and safeguarding the rights and welfare of minority communities.
Representatives of the Minority Cell from various districts apprised him of issues concerning their communities and sought intervention on developmental and public matters. Abdullah assured them that their genuine demands would be taken up with the concerned authorities.
He also directed Rajya Sabha MP Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan to raise issues concerning minority communities before the Central government in Parliament, the statement said.
The meeting also finalised the Minority Cell’s programme to observe the death anniversary of Begum Akbar Jehan Abdullah on July 11.
