Will move SC if J&K statehood inordinately delayed: Farooq

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said on Saturday that his party will have no option but to move the Supreme Court if there is an inordinate delay in the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

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Talking to mediapersons after a meeting of party workers in South Kashmir, the former Chief Minister said they were waiting for the statehood restoration and once that was done, all powers would return to the elected government.

“Eight months have already passed…. After the elections, people wanted their issues to be resolved immediately, but statehood (not being restored) is stopping us. We are waiting. If they (Centre) take a long time, we will have no option but to go to the Supreme Court," said Farooq.

Omar Abdullah took oath as the Chief Minister in October last year as the National Conference (NC) won the first Assembly elections conducted after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The NC has since been stressing that statehood be restored immediately to end the dual governance setup in the UT.

Addressing the party workers, Farooq questioned how the attackers reached Pahalgam despite tight security and carried out the attack in which 26 civilians were killed. “We have so much security. How did they manage to reach there and kill the innocent people?” he said.

The NC president also asked why byelections to two seats in Jammu and Kashmir were not being held. “There are Rajya Sabha seats as well for Jammu and Kashmir. Why are elections not being held,” he said.

On the Israel-Iran conflict, Farooq said he had been praying to God to give sense to both countries to stop the war. “I also pray that God gives US President Donald Trump some sense so that he talks about peace, and not war. The issues can only be resolved peacefully and nothing will be achieved without peace," he said.