ibn sultan
New Delhi/Srinagar, July 20: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC), led by party president Dr. Farooq Abdullah, on Monday staged a protest in New Delhi demanding the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also travelled to the national capital to participate in the demonstration.
The protest was organised to press the Union Government to fulfil its commitment to restore statehood to the Union Territory. Senior National Conference leaders, along with Congress leaders and alliance partners, joined the demonstration.
Addressing the gathering, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary said the people of Jammu and Kashmir had been forced to come to Delhi to remind Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of their promise to restore statehood after the Assembly elections.
He said that nearly one-and-a-half years had passed since the Omar Abdullah-led government assumed office, yet the Centre had not fulfilled its commitment. Choudhary added that the National Conference, the Congress and their alliance partners had united to remind the Union Government of the assurance it had made.
“The Prime Minister and the Home Minister promised the people of Jammu and Kashmir that statehood would be restored after the elections. That promise has not yet been fulfilled,” he said.
Questioning the delay, Choudhary said the commitment had been made in Parliament, before the Supreme Court, and to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, asking when the Centre’s “appropriate time” for restoring statehood would finally arrive.
The National Conference reiterated that the restoration of statehood remains one of its principal political demands and urged the Union Government to honour its commitment without further delay.
