Abdullah dismisses Dulat’s claims accusing him of “cheap stunts” to boost the sales of his book.
National Conference (NC) patron and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah had privately endorsed abrogation of Article 370 and even expressed readiness to “help” in the process if taken into “confidence”, former head of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) A.S. Dulat has reportedly claimed in his latest book, triggering sharp reactions from the political opponents.
Dulat, who enjoys very close relations with Farooq Abdullah, quotes the NC leader in the book ‘The Chief Minister and the Spy’ as saying, “We would have helped (pass the proposal). Why were we not taken into confidence?”
Article 370 was suddenly revoked by the Modi government on August 4, 2019, surprising everyone. Hours before that, Farooq Abdullah and other top political and other leaders were put under house arrest in the Valley and the detention continued for several months.
Interestingly, days before the abrogation, Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The book, according to its excerpts published by The Hindustan Times newspaper, mentions that meeting too.
“What transpired…nobody will ever know,” the former spy chief writes.
The report and the claim made by Dulat evoked sharp reactions from the NC’s political opponents, who alleged “betrayal” by Farooq Abdullah.
Dismissing Dulat’s claims, Abdullah said this was a “figment of imagination” of the author.
Abdullah pointed out that both he and his son, Omar Abdullah, had been put under arrest for several months at the time of the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. “We were detained because our stand against the abrogation of special status was well-known,” he said.
He said that he had taken the initiative to bring together all major political forces in Jammu and Kashmir and formed the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), a coalition of political parties to defend the special status of the state.
Abdullah ridiculed Dulat’s claim that the NC would have got a resolution passed in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for the abrogation of Article 370.
“The claim in the book that the National Conference was planning to pass a resolution on the abrogation of the special status is merely a figment of the imagination of the author who claims to be my friend,” Abdullah said.
Highlighting gaps in Dulat’s reasoning, he said, “A benchmark of common sense should have been adopted by the author while penning the so-called memoirs. He should have remembered that there was no assembly in 2018 which could have been dissolved.” Abdullah insisted that even if the assembly had been in session, he would have never considered passing such a resolution.
Asked whether he had the opportunity to review the book, the NC president remarked, “It is full of inaccuracies that, after a while, I thought I was reading a fiction and left it.” The former chief minister also referenced a specific error where Dulat claimed to have advised him against having a large Cabinet in 1996, to say that he was “sworn in with 25 ministers”, not a small number as suggested.
Abdullah dismissed Dulat’s portrayal of their relationship, particularly the claim that he frequently heeded the author’s advice.
“The author claims that Abdullah would always listen to his advice, which is yet another example of underestimating me. I am a man of my own mind, and I only decide. I am not anyone’s puppet,” he asserted.
Regarding Dulat’s claim that the NC wanted closer relations with the BJP, Abdullah strongly denied it.
“Dulat’s claim that the National Conference wanted to get close to the BJP is an absolute lie as I am not the one who will patch up with a party that is out and out to destroy my party.” Abdullah expressed disappointment with Dulat’s actions. “The worst is that he claims to be my friend, and as has been said, ‘Stab the body and it heals, but injure the heart, and the wound lasts a lifetime,’ and I guess his inaccuracies just for cheap publicity would last a lifetime now,” he added.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti said it is clear that Farooq Abdullah chose to stay in Kashmir instead of the Parliament to “help normalise gutting of J&Ks constitution & subsequent betrayal.”
Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference chairman Sajad Lone said he was not surprised by the disclosure. He suggested that the National Conference would predictably dismiss the revelation, terming it “yet another conspiracy” and accused the party of consistently playing the “victim card.”
“…I can visualise Farooq sahib saying — Humey roney deejiye— Aap apna kaam karein— hum aap kay Saath hain—- It now seems 2024 was a prize for services rendered in 2019. Of course in national interest,” he wrote.
Former NC leader and Ex-Mayor of Srinagar Junaid Mattu also took a dig at the NC.
“Something seems to have fallen out of NC’s bag YET AGAIN and it does seem to be a cat. Commiserations to the vulnerable, gullible people of Kashmir!,” Mattu said.
