'The only way to bring peace and normalcy in the state is to restore autonomy to J&K as guaranteed in the Indian constitution,' said NC president Farooq Abdullah.
In a bid to restore its credibility among the masses, the ruling National Conference (NC) played the autonomy card and asked the Centre on Thursday to grant J&K special status.
“The only way to bring peace and normalcy in the state is to restore autonomy to J&K as guaranteed in the Indian constitution. However, if a better solution than autonomy is offered, NC will welcome it,” NC president Farooq Abdullah said after chairing the seven-hour-long working committee meeting.
The J&K government had passed the autonomy report in the assembly on June 26, 2000, but it was summarily rejected by the then NDA government on grounds that it would have allegedly created a “state within the state”.
Under the autonomy resolution, J&K will enjoy complete autonomy, while the Centre would handle defence, foreign policy, currency and communications. The nomenclature of chief minister and governor would also be changed to prime minister and Sadar-e-Riyasat respectively.
The justice Saghir Ahmad-led working committee in his report submitted to the chief minister had said that the question of autonomy and its demand can be examined in the light of the Kashmir accord or on the basis of some other formula as the present prime minister may deem appropriate so as to restore autonomy.
Eight resolutions were passed by the working committee, Abdullah said, adding that the committee had also urged the government to consider releasing all the political detainees in Kashmir “to build an atmosphere conducive for peace and reconciliation”.
The committee gave the government full authority to firmly deal with destabilising forces. “It was resolved that the government should deal with forces of destabilisation firmly. And simultaneously build confidence of majority law abiding citizens who do not want their day to day lives to be disturbed,” he said.
The committee supported Omar and his government at this crucial juncture and “also thanked the PM and Congress president Sonia Gandhi for their support”.
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