Have taken bullets for India, ready to face them again: Farooq Abdullah

Jammu: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said that his party has faced bullets for India and is prepared to do so again if necessary, dismissing the BJP’s claim that the NC seeks to revive stone-pelting and terrorism in the region.

The former chief minister rejected calls for a fresh bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir, labelling such demands as “foolish and ignorant.” He expressed hope that Ladakh, which was designated as a separate Union Territory in 2019, might eventually be reunited with the former state.

Abdullah also ruled out the creation of additional districts within the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He criticised the demand for separate divisions for the Pir Panjal and Chenab valleys, describing it as part of the ‘Dixon Plan’, a proposal made in September 1950 by Sir Owen Dixon, a UN representative and former chief justice of Australia, aimed at resolving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of his party’s two-day convention of block presidents and secretaries here, Abdullah laughed off the alleged comments from a senior BJP leader, who claimed that the NC and the PDP thrive on unrest and aim to revive stone-pelting and terrorism in the region.

“Tell him that those who want to create disturbance are them, not us. We have taken bullets for staying with India, and we are ready to take them again if needed,” the NC leader said.

When asked about recent statements from certain BJP leaders advocating for statehood for Jammu following its separation from Kashmir, supported by Peoples Conference Chief Sajad Gani Lone and former Srinagar mayor Junaid Mattoo, Abdullah said his party had never entertained such thoughts.