'Abrogation of spl status neither ushered in development nor ended terrorism'

Jammu: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Sunday said the abrogation of the erstwhile state's special status had neither ushered in development nor put an end to terrorism as being narrated by some vested interests in New Delhi.

He also alleged that the BJP has not learnt any lessons from the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane in 1999 and subsequent release of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad founder Maulana Masood Azhar as they think "they are the wisest of the wise, which is unfortunate".

Speaking at a webinar organised by Epilogue News Network, Abdullah, a Lok Sabha member and president of the National Conference (NC), said the government took the decision on the abrogation of the special status without consulting anyone from Jammu and Kashmir.

"It was passed in one day in Rajya Sabha and another day in Lok Sabha," he said and added that the narrative sold by the government is that Kashmir would now become a part of India. "We were always part of India holding the tricolour," Abdullah said.

Jammu and Kashmir was enjoying the special status which was guaranteed to the Muslim majority state on joining Hindu-majority India after rejecting Muslim Pakistan, he asserted at the webinar on "Discerning old order delineating new order a year after neutralization of Article 370 and abrogation of Article 35 A understanding the nuances of the old and the new order; the consequences and challenges".

BJP leader and former minister PriyaSethi and former MLC SurinderAmbardar countered Abdullah and said the abrogation of Article 370 provisions had become necessary to ensure all-round development.

"One year is little time to assess the benefits, give us some time and you will see for yourself," Sethi said.

Article 370 was a continuation of the two-nation theory which gave rise to Pakistan in 1947, Ambardar said.

On August 5 last year, the Centre abrogated the special status guaranteed to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcated the state into Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Abdullah said the promised development has not come and gave the examples of the Kathua-Banihal rail-link and an all-weather tunnel connecting Kargil with Kashmir Valley. And, Adbullah said, "We were never separatists or projected separatism."

"What changed which forced them (to take such a decision)? This was the agenda of the BJP to abrogate it and so it projected it that development will be pouring in from the top, industrialists will come in and the whole map will change. Yes, the map changed as the Maharaja's Kashmir overnight disappeared and we are a union territory which is unfortunate. UTs become states but states never become UTs," he said.