SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah on Saturday described the events of August 9, 1953, including the arrest and ouster of then Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, as a “black day” in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, and called upon the Union Government to open a new chapter in its relationship with the region.
Farooq said the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir should be the first step towards rebuilding trust between Srinagar and New Delhi, followed by a broader process aimed at restoring rights, justice, dignity and mutual respect.
Reflecting on the events of August 9, 1953, Farooq said the arrest of Sheikh Abdullah marked the beginning of what he described as a prolonged “political and constitutional assault” on Jammu and Kashmir’s distinctive constitutional position.
“Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, a towering symbol of selfless nationalism and patriotism, chose incarceration over submission when confronted with attempts to undermine Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional safeguards and install a pliant dispensation in Srinagar,” he said.
Farooq said the arrest of a sitting Prime Minister had inflicted a “deep and enduring wound” on the collective psyche of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He alleged that the political developments of 1953 shattered public faith in the democratic and constitutional assurances extended to Jammu and Kashmir and created a deep trust deficit between Srinagar and New Delhi.
“The political coup of 1953 shattered the people’s faith in the democratic and constitutional assurances extended to Jammu and Kashmir and sowed the seeds of a profound trust deficit between Srinagar and New Delhi. That wound remains unhealed even today,” he said.
According to Farooq, the political rupture of 1953 contributed to the prolonged uncertainty, turmoil and human suffering that followed in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the National Conference remained committed to safeguarding the political, constitutional and cultural identity of Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the events of 1953 had fundamentally altered the relationship between its people and the Union.
Farooq said successive developments had deepened the trust deficit despite efforts by the National Conference to bridge the divide.
He also criticised successive governments in New Delhi for approaching Jammu and Kashmir predominantly through a security-centric prism instead of addressing what he termed the political and constitutional aspirations of its people.
Calling for a “decisive reset” in Centre-Jammu and Kashmir relations, Farooq said the present government had an opportunity to initiate a process of healing, reconciliation and rebuilding trust.
“The present government has an opportunity to take a historic step towards healing, reconciliation and rebuilding trust by honouring its commitment to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
He said restoration of statehood should not be treated as an end in itself but as the beginning of a wider process of restoring rights and addressing issues of justice, dignity and mutual respect.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve nothing less,” Farooq said.
