Srinagar|Oct, 27: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday reiterated that his party would continue its struggle for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional and democratic rights, asserting that it would not retreat from its demand for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A.
Addressing a function at the party headquarters, Nawa-i-Subah, to welcome the newly inducted ministers, Abdullah said the National Conference had endured difficult periods in its history and made sacrifices to safeguard the dignity, rights and interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The NC movement was founded on the struggle against injustice and a firm commitment to securing the fundamental rights of the people,” he said, recalling the hardships faced by party workers and supporters in their pursuit of dignity, self-respect and a better future.
Abdullah said the party had faced what he described as conspiracies at different points in its history, including in 1953, 1977, 1984 and 1990, but had continued to draw strength from public support.
He asserted that attempts to divide the party, create internal differences and weaken its popular base had not succeeded in ending its political presence.
“The NC stood on the foundations of truth, while the blessings of Almighty Allah and the overwhelming support of the people remained its greatest strengths,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Abdullah described the expansion of the Jammu and Kashmir Council of Ministers as a positive development, expressing hope that the newly inducted ministers would work to ease the difficulties faced by the public.
“A very good cabinet change has taken place. They will work and try to ease the difficulties and problems of the people,” he told reporters at Nawa-i-Subah.
Four legislators—Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mir Saifullah, Shamim Firdous and Altaf Ahmad Wani, popularly known as Altaf Kaloo—were sworn in as ministers on Tuesday, in the first major expansion of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s Council of Ministers since the National Conference returned to power following the 2024 Assembly elections.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office and secrecy at Lok Bhawan in Srinagar.
The expansion brought the Council of Ministers to its maximum permissible strength of nine, including the Chief Minister.
Abdullah expressed confidence that the new ministers would work towards public welfare and development, even as the expansion triggered disappointment among some legislators who were not accommodated in the Cabinet.
The party president’s remarks on constitutional rights and the Cabinet expansion came amid political debate over the government’s priorities, the restoration of statehood and the expectations of people from the elected administration.
