In a strong rebuttal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks during his rally in Srinagar on Thirsday, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah declared that without the NC’s intervention in 1947, Jammu and Kashmir would have become part of Pakistan due to its Muslim-majority status.
Speaking at a rally in Udhampur in support of NC candidate Sunil Verma, Abdullah emphasized that the region’s decision to align with India was due to the NC’s vision for a secular and inclusive future.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir should be thankful that the NC was present during Partition,” Abdullah said. “Had we not been there, Jammu and Kashmir would have become part of Pakistan due to its Muslim-majority status. We chose the path of Gandhi and Nehru, believing in a vision of India where citizens of all faiths—Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Buddhists—are equals.”
Abdullah countered Modi’s accusations that the NC, along with the Congress and People’s Democratic Party (PDP), were responsible for the “destruction” of the region. He pointed to decisions made by previous governments, such as the 1989 release of terrorists in exchange for Rubaiya Sayeed and the 1999 Kandahar hijacking, as pivotal moments that contributed to the rise of terrorism in J&K.
“Who released the terrorists in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 1999 in exchange for the hijacked plane, and for Rubaiya Sayeed in 1989? The same terrorists are now running terror operations from Pakistan,” Abdullah remarked. “Yet today, they shift the blame onto us—NC and Congress.”
Criticizing the BJP’s handling of terrorism and its “One Nation, One Election” proposal, Abdullah expressed doubts about its practicality. He also dismissed the BJP’s claims of forming the next government in the region, questioning the party’s accomplishments in addressing issues like inflation, land dispossession, and the preference for non-local officials over experienced locals.
Reaffirming his commitment to restoring Article 370 and the ‘Darbar Move,’ Abdullah concluded, “We are the crown of India, and the new dawn of love and unity will rise from here. We must sink the vehicle of hatred and flag off the vehicle of love.”
