December 12, Srinagar: Omar Abdullah, the leader of the National Conference (NC) and a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has denied the claims that Article 370 was the source of terrorism in the former state.
“If that were the case, terrorism should have started in 1947 and not in 1987,” Abdullah said in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim that Article 370 encouraged terrorism in the valley.
Omar expressed dismay with the Supreme Court’s ruling on Article 370 in an interview with India Today, calling it a “defeat for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.” Abdullah underlined that the defeat is a communal setback for the region rather than just a personal or national conference one.
The Supreme Court maintained the legality of the Center’s decision to repeal Article 370, which gave Jammu and Kashmir unique status.
Abdullah emphasized that the permanent nature of Article 370 and the unique status of Jammu and Kashmir had been maintained in earlier rulings by three-judge benches. He did admit, however, that this time, in spite of previous achievements, the result was different. “It’s a setback, but the fight continues,” he said.
Abdullah expressed disapproval of the Supreme Court’s ruling and questioned the lack of a deadline for statehood, pointing out that it was a significant omission. Why was there no statehood timeline? “The Supreme Court pulled a cop-out,” he said.
In response to a question about improvements that had occurred in Jammu and Kashmir after Article 370 was revoked four years before, Abdullah said that there had been “no inclusivity and no economic growth since August 5.” He noted a little uptick in tourism in certain regions but stressed that there hasn’t been any noteworthy economic development since 2019.
