National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah announced his candidacy for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, while his son and party vice-president, Omar Abdullah, will not be contesting this year. Omar stated that he will run for office once the state’s full statehood is restored. The elections, scheduled in three phases, will be held in September and October.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has expressed optimism that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) will eventually merge with India. In an interview with PTI, Singh stated that the region’s economic progress and return to peace will lead the people of PoK to demand unification with India. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated that PoK is an integral part of India, emphasizing a Parliament resolution to that effect. Meanwhile, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah cautioned that Pakistan also possesses nuclear weapons.
Farooq Abdullah, the National Conference (NC) president, has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to instill fear among Hindus for his political agenda. He stated that Modi no longer focuses on issues that initially propelled him to power in 2014.
National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti have criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks about Muslims during a poll speech. Modi had claimed that the Congress would redistribute wealth to Muslims if it came to power, a statement that was widely condemned as divisive and anti-Muslim.
