Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President Farooq Abdullah during a meeting at party office, in Jammu, Wednesday, January 22, 2025
| Photo Credit: PTI
National Conference (NC) president Dr. Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday (January 22, 2025) said nobody can dictate terms to the elected J&K government.
“The J&K government will function as it wants. Nobody can dictate terms to the government. It has been formed to provide succour to people of J&K,” Dr. Abdullah said, in a press conference in Jammu. He was replying to a question on the criticism by a Congress leader.

On Article 370, Dr. Abdullah said the Dogra maharaja introduced special provisions to safeguard land of Dogras in the past.
The former J&K Chief Minister criticised the Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is accusing the ruling party of changing their goal posts. “The PDP is the one responsible for the revocation of Article 370. We have told Mufti Mohammad Sayeed [PDP founder and ex-J&K Chief Minister] not to join the BJP for government formation. He went ahead, despite repeated requests by us, Congress and other parties,” Dr. Abdullah said.
He said the BJP ruled J&K for over the past 10 years and it needs to answer on how many Kashmiri Pandit migrant families were rehabilitated in Kashmir during this period.
Dr. Abdullah said India “does not face a threat from the outside but from within”. “There is a need for unity and countering divisive narratives to secure the nation’s future,” he said.

Mr. Abdullah highlighted how former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi envisioned South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) like the European Union “with the aim that all countries in the neighbourhood work together for the betterment of their nations”. “We need a revival of this,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dr. Abdullah said that the Katra-Sangaldan train service, connecting the Jammu region with the Kashmir valley, “was likely to be delayed by a few months”.
“The operations will begin in April with the onset of the tourism season. I heard that the train [to Kashmir] will face a two-month delay due to some incomplete works. Those works are being attended to and they will start the train in April with the onset of the tourism season,” the former Chief Minister said.
Published – January 22, 2025 09:56 pm IST
#dictate #terms #elected #government #NCs #Farooq #Abdullah
Source link