One day, New Delhi will regret its decisions regarding J-K: Farooq

Srinagar, Sep 2 (PTI) National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said it is time for the Centre to honour its promise to restore statehood to the Union Territory, and claimed that New Delhi will "regret" its decisions regarding Jammu and Kashmir.

Abdullah made these remarks while interacting with a delegation of party functionaries from Anantnag West, led by MLA Abdul Majeed Bhat Larmi.

The delegation briefed the party president on various organisational matters and the ongoing public outreach programmes, and raised concerns over the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Interacting with the delegation, Abdullah said, "One day, New Delhi will regret its decisions regarding Jammu and Kashmir." "Throughout history, the central government has had numerous opportunities to win the hearts and minds of the people of J-K, but its security-centric approach has always overshadowed its potential for building trust," he said.

Pointing to the massive participation of the people of J-K in the 2024 assembly elections, which reflected their faith in the Indian Constitution and democracy, the former chief minister of the erstwhile state of J-K said despite that, the government had "failed to restore statehood, a promise that remains unfulfilled".

Criticising the delay in the restoration of the statehood, he said the intent behind the August 2019 "unilateral" decisions was to bring J-K at par with the rest of India, "but the reality has been quite the opposite".

"Instead of integration, we are being treated as an exception, placed on a lower pedestal," he said, and stressed that the promises made by New Delhi to restore statehood were vital for the people's trust in the democratic system, and the continued delay only tends to undermine that trust.

Abdullah called on New Delhi to restore J-K's statehood without further delay.

"It is time for New Delhi to honour its promises. This is not just about politics, it's about justice, equality and fulfilling the commitments made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir," he added.

He said the NC remains committed to advocating for the rights and welfare of the people of J-K and will continue to push for the restoration of statehood and other constitutional guarantees peacefully and democratically. PTI SSB KSS KSS