Farooq Abdullah Reaffirms Participation in INDIA Bloc Meet

SRINAGAR: National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Friday reiterated his party’s unwavering stance on the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional rights, while confirming that his party will participate in the upcoming INDIA bloc meeting scheduled in New Delhi on June 8.

Speaking to reporters after joining weekly congregational prayers at revered lakeside Hazratbal shrine, Abdullah said that either he or Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would represent the party at the meeting, underscoring that the NC remains an integral part of the opposition alliance.

Responding sharply to Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma’s recent claim that Article 370 has been “buried,” Abdullah asserted that the special status of J&K is inseparable from its people. He declared that the NC would continue to fight for its restoration “till eternity,” adding that Article 370 would only be buried “the day all of us get buried in Kashmir.” His remarks reflected the party’s long-standing position that the constitutional provisions revoked in 2019 remain central to the region’s political identity.

Earlier in the week, the NC intensified its campaign for the restoration of statehood and constitutional guarantees. During a marathon meeting of the NC Legislature Party chaired by Omar Abdullah, senior leaders, ministers and MLAs held extensive discussions on the political and administrative challenges facing the region. The party resolved that its legislators would travel to New Delhi on the opening day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session to press for the reinstatement of statehood and constitutional rights for the erstwhile state.

Addressing the media after the meeting, NC Chief Spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said the party would raise these issues “forcefully” in the national capital. He described the restoration of statehood as the NC’s foremost and non-negotiable political priority, stressing that the time had come to “reclaim what has been snatched” from the people of J&K. The party also announced plans for a protest in Delhi to highlight its demands for special status and constitutional protections.

A party leader said that Farooq Abdullah’s latest remarks reinforce the NC’s broader political message: that “the future of Article 370 is intertwined with the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir”, and that the party “will continue its struggle both within and outside Parliament".