Key Points
- Abdullah seeks restoration of constitutional rights and statehood
- NC says Kashmiris continue opposing 2019 changes
- Pakistan rejects India’s unilateral measures in the disputed territory
ISLAMABAD: National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah said that the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) had rejected India’s August 5, 2019, constitutional changes from the outset.
He has renewed a call for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional rights and statehood.
In a statement issued in Srinagar, Abdullah described the revocation of the territory’s special constitutional status as “one of the darkest days in India’s democratic history”, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government had stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its constitutional safeguards, political identity and statehood.
He said the people of the territory had consistently opposed the measures introduced by New Delhi and remained committed to the restoration of Kashmir’s constitutional rights and full statehood.
Abdullah’s remarks came as political parties and groups in Jammu and Kashmir marked the seventh anniversary of India’s August 5, 2019 decision to revoke Article 370, which had granted special constitutional status to the territory of Kashmir.
On August 5, 2019, the Indian government rendered Article 370 of the Constitution, which had provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir, largely inoperative.
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It subsequently reorganised the former state into two federally administered Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The Indian Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the 2019 decision in December 2023, but directed New Delhi to restore the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and hold legislative elections.
Abdullah said the NC-led government had reaffirmed its position by highlighting the issue as a legislative priority, including through a resolution in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly seeking restoration of the territory’s constitutional status and statehood.
He said his party would continue its democratic struggle for the restoration of constitutional guarantees, democratic rights and full statehood.
The NC chief also criticised the BJP, accusing it of promoting what he called “proxy political formations” to divide the people’s mandate and weaken their collective political voice.
He urged the people of Jammu and Kashmir to remain united in their demand for restoration of the rights they believe were taken away through the August 5, 2019, measures.
Pakistan rejects the August 5, 2019, measures
The dispute over the 2019 changes remains a politically sensitive issue between India and Pakistan. Islamabad has consistently rejected New Delhi’s unilateral measures concerning Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan has maintained that the dispute remains unresolved and should be settled in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and relevant United Nations resolutions.
Pakistan has also continued to observe August 5 as Youm-e-Istehsal, or the Day of Exploitation, to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir and protest against India’s 2019 actions. India rejects Pakistan’s position and maintains that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country.
The latest comments by Abdullah highlight the continuing political contest over the legacy of August 5, 2019, seven years after New Delhi altered Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional and administrative status.
For Pakistan, the anniversary remains linked to its broader position that India’s unilateral constitutional and administrative measures cannot determine the final status of the disputed territory.
