Mehbooba Mufti Criticizes Omar Abdullah for “Normalizing” Article 370 Revocation

SRINAGAR, Jan 13: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday launched a sharp attack on Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, accusing him of taking steps to “normalize” the central government’s 2019 decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370. She alleged that Abdullah’s actions have aligned with the Centre’s agenda, leading to the region’s bifurcation and loss of autonomy.

Taking to social media platform X, Mehbooba drew a comparison between the leadership styles of Abdullah and her late father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. She highlighted the contrasting approaches, asserting that her father’s vision had once earned the trust of the then BJP Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, even with a modest political presence.

“Difference between a shortsighted politician & a true statesman. In 2003, then BJP PM Vajpayee during his visit to Srinagar showed great faith in Mufti Sahab’s vision of peace with dignity, even though PDP had a mere 16 MLAs. Today, our CM, despite 50 MLAs, did everything to appease & normalize Delhi’s unilateral actions in August 2019 that cleaved & robbed J&K of its special status,” Mehbooba stated in her post.