The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on 02 August raised questions on the latest attack in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, resulting in the killing of two non-local labourers working at a brick kiln, asking, “Who are these killers if everything is normal after 5 August, 2019?”
The senior Abdullah argued the continuation of a hybrid model of governance and dual power structure in Jammu and Kashmir remains inconsistent with the “principles of democracy and federalism”, as it deprives the people of the full mandate they have democratically bestowed.
Despite the presence of a democratically elected government, Farooq Abdullah argued that the “assurances made by the BJP-led Union Government after the August 5, 2019 decisions remain unfulfilled, while J&K continues to be denied the democratic rights enjoyed by other states.”
A detailed statement issued to the press quoted Farooq Abdullah as having said: “The people of J&K were promised that the events of August 5, 2019 would place the region on par with all other states. If that is indeed the case, why is a dual power structure still being imposed despite the existence of a duly elected government? Why are the people of Jammu and Kashmir denied the democratic authority that every other elected government in India exercises?”
Responding to questions about the recent militancy-related incidents in South Kashmir’s Bijbehara and Kulgam, Farooq Abdullah said the promise that the unilateral constitutional changes would usher in lasting peace has not translated into reality.
“The people were assured that peace and normalcy would prevail. However, recent incidents remind us that those promises remain far from fulfilled. The truth is that Jammu and Kashmir continues to be treated as an exception. While citizens across India enjoy the full benefits of democracy and cooperative federalism, our people continue to face an arrangement that falls short of democratic norms,” the JKNC statement said, quoting Farooq Abdullah.
Farooq Abdullah made these comments while talking to reporters after visiting Duratyar, Bijbehara, where he offered condolences to the bereaved family of his party’s block president Muhammad Ismail Wani, who passed away after remaining bedridden for about eight years following injuries sustained in an alleged militant attack in 2019.
Bashir Ahmad Veeri, the JKNC’s local MLA in the area, accompanied Farooq Abdullah, among others.
