Srinagar, Sep 27: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has said the National Conference made a “political mistake” by linking its Assembly resolution seeking restoration of statehood with references to Article 370 and Article 35A.
In an interview , Azad said the demand for restoration of statehood was shared across Jammu and Kashmir and should have been pursued separately from issues related to the erstwhile constitutional arrangement.
Azad was referring to the resolution moved by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah seeking the “immediate and urgent restoration” of full statehood to J&K. The resolution also refers to Assembly resolutions passed in 2000 and 2024.
According to Azad, a resolution confined to statehood could have attracted wider political support and compelled parties to take a clear position on the issue. He said references to Article 370 and 35A allowed political differences over the 2019 changes to enter the debate.
Azad said restoration of statehood was not a party-specific demand and that the elected Assembly had a basis to raise the issue as it represented people from both regions.
He also recalled the Centre’s earlier assurances that statehood would be restored at an “appropriate time”, saying he had advocated its restoration before the Assembly elections.
On his own political position, Azad said his stand that restoration of Article 370 and Article 35A could not be promised had affected his party’s performance in the 2024 elections.
He said he had taken the position because he did not want to make promises he believed could not be fulfilled, arguing that political parties should distinguish between demands that were achievable and those requiring parliamentary numbers that were not available.
Azad said political parties should focus first on restoration of statehood and address other constitutional and political questions separately.
He also linked statehood to governance, saying restoration would return greater administrative and political powers to the elected government. He said J&K was facing issues including unemployment, drug abuse and inflation, while clarifying that statehood alone would not automatically resolve these problems.
Azad further said the present Union Territory arrangement had created what he described as “two centres of authority”, leading to confusion among people over which administration was responsible for particular issues.
He said restoration of statehood would bring greater clarity to governance by establishing a clearer chain of authority.
Azad said he was now largely away from active electoral politics and maintained that his comments were based on his experience in Parliament and government, particularly in building consensus around parliamentary resolutions.(KNS)
