SRINAGAR: National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday accused successive Central governments of repeatedly failing to honour their commitments to Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the people were seeking the restoration of their rights and dignity rather than any favour.
Addressing a gathering in Srinagar, Abdullah recalled what he described as decades of unfulfilled assurances from New Delhi. Referring to a meeting during the tenure of former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, he said promises had been made to address the shortcomings caused by previous governments and restore the situation, but alleged that those commitments had remained unfulfilled.
“We too are human beings. We too are the crown of India — we too have our dignity here,” Abdullah said.
The NC president also referred to a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which he said he attended along with senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, where he stressed the need to rebuild trust between Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir. According to Abdullah, despite assurances to reduce the distance between the Centre and the region, that gap had only widened.
In a sharp political attack, Abdullah accused unnamed political opponents of following Delhi’s directives while claiming to represent the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He urged them to abandon what he termed “servitude” and stand with the people, alleging that those who betrayed public interests would be held accountable.
Highlighting the National Conference’s governance record, Abdullah said his party had undertaken significant development works, including the construction of schools, colleges, hospitals and roads, despite difficult circumstances.
Reiterating the party’s political stand, Abdullah said the demand was not for concessions but for the restoration of the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“We are not asking for anything that is not ours—we are only asking for our own right, that this right be returned to us,” he said.
