Srinagar, Aug 8: National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah on Saturday termed August 9, 1953, when then Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah was arrested and removed from office, a “black day” in the history of J&K.
Farooq said the events of 1953 created a deep trust deficit between the people of Jammu and Kashmir and New Delhi, which successive developments further widened.
He called upon the Union Government to open a “new chapter” in Centre-J&K relations based on mutual trust, democratic principles and constitutional guarantees, with restoration of statehood as the first step.
Farooq said the arrest and ouster of Sheikh Abdullah marked the beginning of a prolonged political and constitutional crisis in J&K and undermined public faith in democratic and constitutional assurances.
He said successive governments at the Centre had largely approached J&K through a security-centric prism instead of addressing the political and constitutional aspirations of its people.
The NC president said his party remained committed to safeguarding J&K’s political, constitutional and cultural identity.
He urged the Centre to honour its commitment to restore statehood, saying it should mark the beginning of a broader process of “rights restoration, justice, dignity and mutual respect”.
