Srinagar: National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Friday said the signature campaign announced by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood will be carried out with full vigour.
“The campaign will be run, and it will be a vigorous campaign,” Farooq told reporters after attending the Independence Day function at Bakshi Stadium.
The NC chief was reacting to the CM’s announcement, made in response to the Supreme Court’s observation that the Pahalgam terror attack must be considered when deciding on restoring statehood. A bench led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai had stressed that the “ground situation” and “incidents like Pahalgam” cannot be ignored.
In his Independence Day speech, Omar Abdullah said he would launch a massive door-to-door campaign across all 90 assembly segments during the eight weeks given by the court to the Centre to respond to the plea on statehood. “If people are not ready to sign, I will accept defeat,” he said.
Asked whether the CM’s speech sent a strong message, Farooq Abdullah agreed, calling it “clear.”
The former chief minister said attending the Independence Day function after years evoked mixed emotions. “There were tears and happiness. Tears because I was also a CM when we had Article 370, Article 35A, and statehood,” he said.
On the Kishtwar cloudburst, Farooq expressed concern, saying over 500 people were feared trapped under debris. “Our DDC chairman there told me the number could be closer to 1,000. We don’t know for sure. It is a moment of sadness,” he added.
