National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Sunday said the people of Jammu and Kashmir might have to make “sacrifices”, as farmers protesting the new farm laws did, to restore its statehood and special status.
Addressing a convention of the NC’s youth wing on the 116th birth anniversary of party founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah at his mausoleum at Naseembagh here, Farooq, however, said his party did not support violence.
“The farmers protested for 11 months. More than 700 farmers died. The Centre had to revoke the three farm bills when farmers made sacrifices. We may also have to make sacrifices like that to get back our rights. We have promised to get back (Articles) 370, 35-A and statehood and we are ready to make any sacrifice,” Farooq said.
The NC, however, was not against brotherhood and did not support violence, he said.
On the recent Hyderpora encounter and how the families of two civilians killed in the operation forced the administration to return their bodies, he said it was made possible because people showed unity.
He demanded that the body of another person, Amir Magray, killed in the encounter also be returned to his family. “Three innocent persons were killed (in the Hyderpora encounter). When people raised their voices, they (the administration) returned the bodies so that their kin could bury them. This is what unity can do. How many innocent people would they have killed this way?” the NC chief said.
Referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remark that tourism has increased in J&K after the abrogation of Article 370, he said, “As if tourism is everything when it comes to the UT. You had promised 50,000 jobs, where are they? Were there no people for employing in the (J&K) bank that you got people from Punjab and Haryana?”
