Jammu| July, 24 : Advocating for early restoration of statehood status former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and veteran politician, Ghulam Nabi Azad today stated that it is a must for the progress and development of Jammu and Kashmir.
“For development and progress, Jammu and Kashmir must get back the statehood status,” Azad, who was on a personal visit to Katra town in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, told reporters. And, he said that it is not an issue of Hindu, Muslim, Kashmiri or non-Kashmiri, but a concern of every party, region and religion. “Either it is BJP in Jammu, National Conference in Kashmir, Congress or PDP and for all religions, statehood is very important,” he expressed. “When I was MoS Home, I recommended three Union Territories as states and they became states but in my 50 years of political career, I have seen my own state becoming the UT,” Azad said. “It was unfortunate but I am thankful to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister that during my discussions in the Parliament, they promised to restore the statehood status to Jammu and Kashmir. I will appreciate it if they fulfil the promise at the earliest,” said Azad. He added, “Article 370 and statehood are two different issues.” However, rebuffing his name doing the rounds as next Vice President of India, Azad said, “I request everyone not to pay attention to the rumours.” “We need to address the statehood issue, unemployment and focus on development, so we have no time for any rumours,” he asserted.
