Several Opposition parties, including Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), J&K Apni Party, Awami Ittehad Party, J&K Peoples Conference and an NC Member of Parliament on Thursday (June 4, 2026) questioned the ruling National Conference’s (NC) move to hold a protest in New Delhi over Statehood and constitutional guarantees.
“The Dachigam meeting of ruling NC legislators was being projected as something significant. It isn’t. The NC doesn’t have a history of surprising Delhi. It has a history of disappointing Kashmiris. We have seen this script before and there is little reason to expect a different ending this time,” said PDP leader Yasir Reshi.
Mr. Reshi said people reposed their faith in NC leaders in 1977 and in 1996 and gave it a clear mandate. “However, the NC chose political survival over the aspirations of the people,” said Mr. Reshi.
J&K PC chief Sajad Lone termed the NC protest “yet another attempt to divert attention from their failures”. “Try to divert attention from the lies of the election manifesto. Yet another attempt at sob stories,” said Mr. Lone.
Ruling NC Member of Parliament Syed Aga Ruhullah, who has been critical of the functioning of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, said, “Fight for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s Statehood and constitutional guarantees must be based on consistency and credibility and not theatrics or optics.
He asked the NC to come up with a road map. “Reach out to the whole of Kashmir and create a movement in favour of your demands. We should build a democratic and peaceful movement until the rights taken away in 2019 are restored,” said Mr. Ruhullah.
Backing the PDP’s idea of a united front, Mr. Ruhullah too sought unification of parties in Jammu and Kashmir. “If political parties are serious, they should keep electoral politics aside and focus entirely on the movement. People will only trust such efforts if they see sincerity and consistency,” he said.
Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) spokesperson Inam Un Nabi termed the NC’s protest outside Parliament “a belated exercise”. “We sincerely hope this marks the beginning of a sustained and result-oriented struggle. The issue should not stop at Statehood alone. The political leadership of Jammu and Kashmir must move beyond Statehood and collectively demand restoration of all constitutional, democratic and political rights that have been gradually taken away since 1953,” said Mr. Nabi.
J&K Apni Party vice-president Ghulam Hassan Mir said the NC was “diluting the real issue of engaging in meaningful dialogue with the Centre”. “At this juncture, there is a need to engage in talks with the Centre to ensure the redress of the issues and problems facing Jammu and Kashmir. However, the NC has announced a sit-in protest in Delhi. Had it been serious about resolving the issues, it would not have chosen this path,” said Mr. Mir.
He said there was a need “to first identify the issues that must be addressed by New Delhi, understand the problems people are suffering from, and set achievable goals”.
People’s Democratic Front (PDF) president Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen said the NC must first come clean on what exactly it was seeking from the Centre. The NC leadership must clarify whether it was demanding the restoration of the same Statehood that existed before August 5, 2019, with constitutional safeguards and protections for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, or whether it was seeking a diluted form of Statehood without any guarantees, safeguards, or special constitutional provisions, he said.
He said both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah publicly assured Parliament and the people of Jammu and Kashmir that Statehood would be restored at an appropriate time.
Meanwhile, J&K’s Grand Mufti Nasir-ul Islam said the people of the region want to “live with India” while having their own State. “The demand for Statehood is a democratic right and not an act of separatism,” he said.
The political reactions have followed the meeting chaired by Mr. Abdullah where the party decided to hold a protest on the first day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session in New Delhi and press for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s Statehood and constitutional guarantees.
Published - June 04, 2026 11:26 pm IST
Source: The Hindu - India News
