Farooq hails Congress for taking up J-K statehood issue with PM Modi   

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Friday congratulated the Congress for writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

“I congratulate (Mallikarjun) Kharge and Rahul (Gandhi) who raised the issue with the PM and a meeting of all leaders will take place on (July) 19 evening in which this issue will be raised again,” he told reporters here.

Abdullah was responding to a question about Gandhi and Kharge’s letter to Prime Minister Modi seeking restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir during the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament.

When asked if the Centre will restore the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, the former chief minister said it was the right of the people. “Why not? It is our right. If they don’t, we will see,” he said.

The Centre on August 5, 2019 scrapped J-K’s special status, bifurcating the region into two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Asked about the US designating terror outfit The Resistance Front (TRF) as a foreign terrorists group for its involvement in the Pahalgam attack, Abdullah said it was too premature to comment as the incident was still under investigation.

“That (Pahalgam attack) is under investigation. Till the investigation is complete, commenting on it will be wrong,” he added.