Farooq Abdullah’s remarks on Art 370 restoration ‘unacceptable’: Karan Singh

Srinagar: Senior Congress leader Karan Singh said Wednesday National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah’s remarks on restoring the special status of Jammu and Kashmir were “totally unacceptable” and could provoke “unrealistic expectations” among the people of Kashmir. “My old friend Farooq Abdullah has made an astounding statement to the effect that Article 370 will be restored with China’s support,” Singh said.

“I can understand his rage and frustration at recent events, including the fact that he was under house arrest for a year, an emotion that large sections in the Kashmir Valley share. However, his recent articulation is totally unacceptable. It will tend to, once again, provoke totally unrealistic expectations among the people of Kashmir,” he said in a statement. The National Conference has denied Abdullah said Article 370 would be restored with “China’s support”. It asserted that Abdullah never justified China’s expansionism or its aggression during his interview to a TV channel on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Singh, the former Sadr-e-Riyasat and ex-governor of J&K, welcomed the release of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti after 14 months in detention and hoped she and Abdullah will strengthen the democratic process by taking their agenda to the people once elections take place. “That is the only way political stability can be restored in the state so that developmental activities in both the regions can gather momentum,” he said.

Mufti was released Tuesday night as the Union territory administration revoked the Public Safety Act charges against her. She was detained following the abrogation of special status of the erstwhile state on August 5, 2019.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Kashmir Monitor staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)