Former RAW Chief Dulat Claims Dr. Farooq Secretly Supported Article 370 Abrogation, Sparking Political Storm
Srinagar, April 16:
Former RAW Chief A.S. Dulat has sparked a major political controversy with his claim that former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) President Dr. Farooq Abdullah secretly supported the abrogation of Article 370.
In his new book, The Chief Minister and The Spy, Dulat made the startling revelation, which has since triggered strong reactions across the political spectrum. According to Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Dulat asserts that Dr. Abdullah privately expressed support for the government’s move to revoke Article 370, despite publicly opposing it at the time.
Peoples Conference (PC) President Sajad Gani Lone, reacting on the micro-blogging site X, said he was not surprised by Dulat’s revelation, emphasizing that the August 4, 2019, meeting between Farooq Abdullah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was never a mystery to him.
“Dulat sahib has revealed that Farooq Sahib privately supported the abrogation of Article 370. Coming from Dulat sahib, this makes the revelation very credible. He is Farooq sahib’s closest ally and almost his alter ego,” Lone wrote. He further criticized the National Conference for its tendency to play the victim card, adding that the party would likely deny the claim as yet another conspiracy against them.
Lone also alluded to the “theatre” enacted by NC MLAs in the Assembly, stating, “The August 4, 2019, meeting of CM sahib and Farooq sahib with the PM was never a mystery for me. It now seems 2024 was a prize for services rendered in 2019. Of course, in national interest.”
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti also weighed in on the controversy, accusing Farooq Abdullah of betraying the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “Dulat sahab, an ardent Abdullah supporter, has shared how Farooq sahab agreed with Delhi’s illegal move of abrogating Article 370. There were already doubts about what transpired between the Abdullahs and PM before the special status was revoked,” she wrote on X. “With this revelation, it’s clear that Farooq sahab chose to stay in Kashmir instead of Parliament to help normalize the gutting of J&K’s constitution.”
The revelation has ignited a fresh debate over the political alignments and actions of key political figures in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in relation to the controversial abrogation of Article 370.
