Not surprised by ex-RAW chief Dulat’s revelations on Farooq, says Mehbooba

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said she was not surprised by the claims made by former RAW chief AS Dulat regarding National Conference president Farooq Abdullah “supporting” the abrogation of Article 370.

“Dulat’s revelations are nothing new for me. He is close to the National Conference and wrote in his book that Farooq Sahab wished he had been consulted about the removal of Article 370. He was even willing to get it passed through the Assembly, but he wasn’t consulted,” Mufti told reporters in Srinagar on the sidelines of a PDP workers’ convention.

Article 370 granting special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was abrogated by the Centre on August 5, 2019.

Mufti also claimed that in 2014, Omar Abdullah met Amit Shah for government formation in Jammu and Kashmir. “He told Shah not to form a government with the PDP but to go with the National Conference and that too unconditionally,” she alleged.

Dulat’s revelations have triggered a political storm in the Valley, with opposition parties describing them as a “betrayal.” Farooq Abdullah, however, dismissed Dulat’s claims as a “cheap stunt” aimed at boosting the sales of his forthcoming book, which he said was “full of inaccuracies.”

In his new book, The Chief Minister and the Spy – An Unlikely Friendship, Dulat writes about Article 370, stating: “Farooq was terribly hurt... maybe. When I met him in 2020, he told me, ‘The NC (National Conference) could even have had the proposal passed in the Assembly... we would have helped. Why were we not taken into confidence?’”

The PDP chief also spoke about the Waqf (Amendment) Act, saying she wanted to send a message to the people of Jammu and Kashmir—particularly Muslims and secular people—that “we are with you in this difficult time.”

She also contested the government’s claims about normalcy in Kashmir. “You can guess how good the situation is—when we were not even granted permission to hold a protest against the Waqf Act or in support of Palestine. If a simple protest can ruin the peace of Jammu and Kashmir, then what will happen?” she asked.

The former Chief Minister expressed hope that the Supreme Court would rule against the amendment of the Waqf Act. “The emotions of crores of Muslims are tied to the Waqf. Our case is strong. We hope that, keeping the collective conscience in mind, the Supreme Court will strike down the amendment,” she said.

It’s his habit not to go with truth: Omar

Reacting to AS Dulat’s claims, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the ex-RAW chief in his new book “did not leave any stone unturned to humiliate Farooq Abdullah”.

“If Mehbooba ji considers everything written by Daulat Sahib to be true, then should we also consider what he wrote about her father in his first book is also true? If we consider it the truth, then she should answer the question of how she will make the people believe it,” Omar told reporters in Jammu.

He said to sell his book, “it is Dulat sahib’s habit not to go with the truth”.

Omar added, “It is said that when you have friends like this, there is no need for enemies. Finally, Farooq sahib has found out the truth about Dulat sahib.”