Amidst a heated political atmosphere in Jammu and Kashmir, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has lashed out at Pakistan for interfering in the upcoming Assembly elections. His response came after Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khwaja Asif, hinted at an alliance between Pakistan and the NC-Congress alliance on the restoration of Article 370. This statement triggered a wave of accusations from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which accused the National Conference and the Congress of being complicit with ‘anti-national forces.’
During his campaign for the 2024 J&K Assembly elections, Omar Abdullah, speaking to news agency ANI, firmly stated that Pakistan should refrain from meddling in Indian elections and instead focus on their own democracy. He declared, “What does Pakistan have to do with us? We are not even a part of Pakistan, let them take care of their country. I don’t think they should interfere in our elections or comment on our elections. They should save their democracy, we are participating in ours.”
Echoing his son’s sentiment, NC leader Farooq Abdullah dismissed the Pakistani Defence Minister’s claims, asserting that he is an Indian citizen and does not concern himself with Pakistan’s pronouncements. “I don’t know what Pakistan says. I am not a Pakistani; I am an Indian citizen,” he stated.
Adding fuel to the fire, Home Minister Amit Shah joined the fray, accusing the opposition parties of aligning with Pakistan’s agenda. He labelled the statement by the Pakistani Defence Minister as evidence of shared intentions and an anti-India agenda between the Congress and Pakistan. “Pakistan Defence Minister’s statement about the Congress and the JKNC’s support on Article 370 and 35A has once again exposed the Congress. This statement has once again made it clear that the Congress and Pakistan have the same intentions and agenda. For the last few years, Rahul Gandhi has been standing with every anti-India force, hurting the sentiments of the countrymen,” Amit Shah wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in Hindi.
The controversy stems from the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A in August 2019 by the Narendra Modi government. These articles provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir and special rights to its permanent residents, respectively. The decision to revoke these articles and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh – has been a point of contention and a key issue in the upcoming elections.
