SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday criticised Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over his reported remarks that the restoration of Article 370 was not possible under the present Union government, saying such statements create “a sense of defeat” among the people. She asserted that Articles 370 and 35A must remain integral to any future resolution of the Kashmir issue.
Questioning the National Conference’s stand, Mufti asked why the party had included the restoration of Article 370 in its election manifesto if it now considered the demand unrealistic.
“To say Article 370 cannot be restored is to throw acid—not water—on the hopes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. It gives people a sense of defeat. No leader should give his people a sense of defeat,” she said.
Mufti alleged that the National Conference had narrowed Jammu and Kashmir’s political agenda to the restoration of statehood alone. She said the public mandate received by the government extended beyond the issue of statehood and included addressing broader political concerns.
“When a Chief Minister with such a brute majority says that every problem of Jammu and Kashmir will be solved by statehood, I think it is an injustice to the people,” she said.
The PDP chief said she had earlier proposed convening an all-party meeting before pursuing the demand for statehood, suggesting that a collective decision could have been taken if all political parties had agreed to focus solely on that issue.
Accusing the National Conference of “normalising” the constitutional changes of August 2019, Mufti said that concentrating only on statehood while avoiding discussion of Article 370, and subsequently declaring its restoration impossible, amounted to accepting the developments of 2019. She compared the situation to “cutting off someone’s legs and then asking them to take back their shoes”, calling it an injustice to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Commenting on the protests in Delhi and the reported detention of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Mufti praised the young demonstrators, saying they had reaffirmed that questioning those in power was not a crime in a democracy. She said the protesters were “writing a new movement not only with their sweat but with their blood”.
On whether the PDP would participate in any protest involving the BJP, Mufti said no decision had been taken.
Rejecting suggestions that the PDP should abandon its demand for the restoration of Article 370, she said the party would not give up its commitments simply because others had moved away from their own promises.
