National Conference general secretary Ali Mohmmad Sagar, party president Faroooq Abdullah and party working president Omar Abdullah in Srinagar on Wednesday. — PTI
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference (NC) working president Omar Abdullah on Wednesday accused the Centre of dishonouring the conditions under which the formerly princely state acceded to India in 1947.
“Delhi has dishonoured the terms and conditions of the state’s accession to the Union of India,” he said, terming the “erosion” of the state’s autonomy guaranteed under Article 370 of the Constitution and the Delhi agreement between his grandfather, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, and the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, as a “breach of faith” that, he said, has manifested itself as political turmoil and instability in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mr Abdullah, while speaking at the commemorative function held at the NC headquarters here on the first death anniversary of its former general secretary, Sheikh Nazir Ahmed, said the Centre will have to honour all the terms and conditions of the accession and reverse the erosions in the state’s autonomy to restore a sense of faith and trust among the people of J&K.
“While Delhi expected the people of J&K to honour the state’s accession to India, it left no stone unturned to violate the terms and conditions of the same accession,” he said, adding systematic erosions were engineered by the Centre “to rob the state of its autonomy” which, he said, has created a sense of deep mistrust.
The former CM said that while one side is expected to honour the agreement, the other side cannot dishonour it.
He also said that the NC never abandoned its political struggle for the restoration of autonomy and it will continue to strive for this “just demand”.
He asserted, “Unlike others, National Conference doesn’t believe in rank political expediency at the cost of our ideology and principles.”
Our flag is our pride. It represents all three regions of the state — Jammu, the Valley and Ladakh — and we will protect our flag with our blood.”
As alliance partners PDP and BJP have failed to form a new government in the state following the death of former CM Mufti Muhammad Sayeed on January 7, NC president and former Union minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, speaking on the occasion, said the state cannot be expected to remain engulfed in political uncertainty. He said PDP and BJP should either form a government or the Centre should dissolve the state Assembly to pave the way for fresh elections. He said the NC was fully prepared to go again to the people, “who deserved a chance to elect a popular government”.
“If PDP and BJP cannot offer the state a government despite continuing to be in an alliance, the Assembly should be dissolved without any further delay, providing the people with a chance to elect a new, popular government,” he said. Dr Abdullah said the NC will neither interfere in the internal dealings of the PDP-BJP alliance, nor will it bail either of them out of this prevailing situation. “They promised the people of J&K good governance and development and their first year in power has exposed their failure to perform the most basic duties of a government. They have deceived the people of Jammu and Kashmir and continue to be in an alliance for their own, partisan interests,” he alleged.
