The National Conference’s resolution reaffirming its “commitment to special status” and demanding “immediate return of statehood” to Jammu and Kashmir has sparked a row, prompting the Opposition to wonder why it was not passed in the Assembly “where such matters belong”.
The resolution was passed during a working committee meeting of the party Wednesday to discuss the Pahalgam attack and subsequent hostilities between India and Pakistan. The meeting was chaired by National Conference president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The attack on April 22 at Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadow killed 26 people – including a Nepal citizen – and led to India conducting strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan. This was followed by escalating hostilities between the two countries, which ended with a ceasefire on May 10.
While condemning the “horrific Baisaran attack”, the working committee of the National Conference also denounced the cross-border shelling.
The working committee reaffirmed commitment to restoring and Kashmir’s special status and statehood.
“The Working Committee unanimously reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. The Committee reiterated that this is central to the aspirations and dignity of the people and must be addressed without further delay and we will continue to fight for its restoration,” the resolution read. “The Working Committee also urged the Government of India to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir immediately, as promised on the floor of Parliament and repeatedly echoed in the public domain and also as committed by the constitution bench of the Supreme Court.”
The working committee also welcomed the ceasefire between India and Pakistan and appealed for “sustained peace and dialogue” and exploration of long lasting, peaceful solutions “to end violence”. While appreciating the “spontaneous and overwhelming support” of people of Jammu and Kashmir in “unequivocally condemning” the Pahalgam attack, the working committee also condemned the “targeted harassment” of Kashmiris living outside Jammu and Kashmir.
“The Committee called upon the Government of India to recognise and respect this powerful expression of solidarity and not squander the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity extended by the people of Jammu and Kashmir. It further cautioned that arbitrary arrests, harassment of youth, targeted use of bulldozers, and intimidation of legitimate media voices will only alienate the very people who have stood firmly for peace and against violence,” the resolution says. “It strongly condemned their selective targeting in the aftermath of recent events. The Committee called upon all state governments to ensure the safety, dignity, and protection of the lives and property of all people from Jammu and Kashmir living or working in other parts of India.”
Opposition leaders questioned the mode of passing the resolution.
“So, the National Conference armed with a brute mandate of 50 MLAs, passed a resolution on special status and statehood—not in the J&K Assembly, where such matters belong, but in its party office, Nawai-i-Subh. Let that sink in,” Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) youth president and party legislator Waheed Para posted on X. “What’s next? A cabinet meeting in the party office?”
