Farooq Abdullah Slams PM Modi for Skipping J&K Statehood in National Address
‘Every Citizen Hopes for Statehood’: Farooq Abdullah Questions PM Modi’s Priorities
Srinagar, Sep 22: National Conference (NC) president and former Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah on Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi missed an opportunity to address one of the most pressing concerns of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in his latest national address. According to him, while the Prime Minister chose to focus on the implementation of revised GST reforms, the occasion would have been far more meaningful had he spoken about the restoration of J&K’s statehood.
“You are talking about GST, but it would have been better had you (Modi) talked about our statehood in the speech,” Dr. Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar, reflecting the widespread sentiment among the people of the Union Territory.
On being asked about the petition regarding the issue pending before the Supreme Court, which is scheduled for hearing in the second week of October, the NC president said the matter is not confined to his party alone. “Not just the National Conference, but every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir is hopeful that statehood will be restored. It is the aspiration of all,” he remarked, underlining the collective yearning across the region.
Dr. Abdullah also addressed questions on the case of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik, who is currently serving a life sentence in a terror funding case. Malik, arrested in 2019, also faces trial in several other cases, including those relating to the kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed and the attack on IAF personnel in Rawalpora in 1990. To this, Abdullah said: “It is for the courts to decide. The decision lies with the judiciary, and we have no role in it.”
Sharing his views on the overall state of governance in J&K, Abdullah described it as akin to “walking on a razor’s edge.” He added, “We have to walk on it, no matter how difficult, and we cannot step back.”
On the controversy surrounding the detention of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA), Abdullah maintained a balanced stance. He said while Malik’s remarks against an officer were inappropriate and unparliamentary, invoking the PSA was an excessive step. “The words used by Malik were wrong and should not have been spoken. But the PSA was also wrong. They could have resolved the matter through dialogue, but they chose not to,” he stated.
He also clarified that the power to revoke PSA does not lie with the elected government. “That authority rests solely with the lieutenant governor,” he said, thereby distancing elected representatives from the final call on preventive detention cases.
