Statehood for J&K Must Be Restored This Session: Farooq Abdullah
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Friday urged the Centre to introduce and pass a bill restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir during the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.
“The Centre should honour its repeated commitments on statehood. It should introduce and pass the statehood restoration bill during the ongoing session. People of J&K have waited long enough. The restoration of statehood is not merely a political demand but a constitutional and democratic imperative,” said Abdullah.
Abdullah, who served as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir three times, said, “Parliament must seize this opportunity to fulfil the government’s solemn assurances given repeatedly to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and restore their democratic rights and dignity without any further delay.”
His appeal comes days after he led a protest of party leaders, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and legislators at Jantar Mantar in Delhi over statehood and constitutional guarantees.
Meanwhile, Abdullah commended the Omar Abdullah-led government for its “prompt, compassionate and hands-on” response to challenges arising from recent inclement weather in the Union Territory.
