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Srinagar: People’s Democratic Party(PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday accused Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of trying to make the people of Jammu and Kashmir “feel defeated” by declaring that the restoration of Article 370 and 35A was impossible under the present Union government.

Responding to Omar Abdullah’s remarks that seeking the restoration of Article 370 from the current BJP government was impractical, Mehbooba questioned why the National Conference had included the issue in its 2024 election manifesto if it believed it could not be achieved.

Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Mufti said that the people of J&K have given the NC a mandate, with 50 MLAs, three elected MPs in the Lok Sabha and three in the Rajya Sabha after the party promised restoration of special status during the 2024 assembly elections.

“Omar sahab (Chief Minister) wants to give people of J&K a sense of defeat by demanding statehood and not the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A, which the NC promised in its manifesto. He is reducing the Kashmir Issue to a demand for statehood. When the chief minister says that statehood will resolve all issues, it is very unfortunate”, Mufti said.

The former chief minister’s scathing attack came a day after Omar Abdullah accused the DPD of derailing the autonomy demand after the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed founded the PDP in 1998 and launched a parallel slogan of self-rule and joined the BJP.
in a coalition government in 2014.

” His mandate is not for statehood but for the larger issue of Kashmir. He should show his manifesto. Restoration of Article 370 and 35A should be part of statehood restoration’, Mehbooba noted. Drawing a parallel between NC founder Sheikh Abdullah and CM Omar, PDP president said that NC has always normalized the situation in Kashmir.