J&K parties question NC’s move to stage protest in Delhi over statehood
Criticizing the functioning of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Member of Parliament of the ruling NC Syed Aga Ruhullah said, “The struggle to restore statehood and constitutional guarantees to Jammu and Kashmir must be based on consistency and credibility, not on theatrics or optics. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu
Several opposition parties, including the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), J&K Apni Party, Awami Ittehad Party, J&K People’s Conference and NC Member of Parliament on Thursday (June 4, 2026) questioned the ruling National Conference’s (NC) move to stage a protest in New Delhi over statehood and constitutional guarantees.
“The meeting of ruling NC legislators in Dachigam was projected as something significant. It is not. The NC has no history of surprising Delhi. It has a history of disappointing Kashmir. We have seen this scenario before and there is no reason to expect a different ending this time,” said PDP leader Yasir Reshi.
Mr. Reshi said that in 1977 and 1996, the people had faith in the NC leaders again and gave it a clear mandate. “However, the NC has chosen political survival over the aspirations of the people,” Mr. Reshi said.
J&K chief PC Sajad Lone called the NC protest “another attempt to divert attention from their failure”. “Try to divert attention from the lies of the election manifesto. Another attempt at sob stories,” Mr Lone said.
Criticizing the functioning of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, ruling Member of Parliament Syed Aga Ruhullah said, “The struggle to restore statehood and constitutional guarantees to Jammu and Kashmir must be based on consistency and credibility, not on theatrics or optics.
He asked the NC to suggest a road map. “Reach the entire Kashmir and build a movement in favor of your demands. We should build a democratic and peaceful movement until the rights taken away in 2019 are restored,” Mr Ruhullah said.
Mr. Ruhullah supported the PDP’s idea of a united front and also sought the unification of the parties in Jammu and Kashmir. “If political parties are serious, they should leave electoral politics aside and focus solely on the movement. People will trust such efforts only if they see sincerity and consistency,” he said.
Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) spokesperson Inam Un Nabi termed the NC protest outside Parliament as a “belated exercise”. “We sincerely hope that this marks the beginning of a sustained and result-oriented struggle. The issue should not stop at statehood alone. The political leadership of Jammu and Kashmir must move beyond statehood and collectively demand the restoration of all constitutional, democratic and political rights that have been gradually taken away from them since 1953,” Mr. Nabi said.
J&K Apni Party Vice President Ghulam Hassan Mir said the NC was “diluting the real issue of engaging in a meaningful dialogue with the Centre”. “At this juncture there is a need to engage in talks with the Center to ensure that the issues and problems faced by Jammu and Kashmir are rectified. However, the NC has announced a protest in Delhi. If it was serious about resolving the issues, it would not have taken this route,” Mr Mir said.
He said there was a need to “first identify the problems that New Delhi needs to address, understand the problems people are suffering from and set achievable goals”.
People’s Democratic Front (PDF) President Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen said the NC must first figure out what exactly it wants from the Centre. The NC leadership must clarify whether it was demanding the restoration of the same statehood that existed before August 5, 2019, with constitutional guarantees and protections for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, or whether it was seeking a diluted form of statehood without any guarantees, safeguards or special constitutional provisions, he said.
He said both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had publicly assured the Parliament and people of Jammu and Kashmir that statehood would be restored at an appropriate time.
Meanwhile, Grand Mufti Nasir-ul Islam of J&K said the people of the region wanted to “live with India” while having their own state. “The demand for statehood is a democratic right, not an act of separatism,” he said.
The political backlash followed a meeting chaired by Mr Abdullah where the party decided to stage a protest on the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament in Delhi and push for restoration of statehood and constitutional guarantees to Jammu and Kashmir.
Published – 04 Jun 2026 23:26 IST