Owais Gul
Srinagar, Jul 5: Senior National Conference (NC) leader and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s Advisor, Nasir Aslam Wani, on Saturday asserted that holding assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are not a pre-requisite for the restoration of statehood.
Talking to reporters, Wani said, “The NC is fully prepared for elections whenever they are announced but the restoration of J&K statehood should not be linked to electoral timelines.”
“We come to know about such reports only through media leaks or planted stories,” Wani said while referring to recent news reports suggesting that assembly elections must precede the return of statehood.
“No official proposal regarding the holding of fresh elections has been communicated to us so far. For Jammu and Kashmir to regain statehood from Union Territory status, the Reorganisation Act needs to be amended and the Legislative Council (upper house) must be restored. Nowhere is it mentioned that elections are a precondition.”
He added, “Let me be very clear — National Conference has never been scared of facing the people. We are the only true grassroots party in Jammu and Kashmir. Our demand remains clear: full statehood for Jammu and Kashmir.”
Wani also reiterated NC’s long-standing call for the formation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a proposal repeatedly advocated by Omar Abdullah to bridge the trust gap between Kashmiri Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits. “There has been a serious trust deficit since the 1990s, and only a credible Truth and Reconciliation mechanism can help heal the wounds and foster understanding between communities,” Wani said.
Referring to the turbulent 1990s, Wani highlighted the sacrifices made by NC workers. “Our workers stood by the nation at a time when standing with India cost them their lives. Hundreds of our party men were killed just because they chose the path of democracy and unity. Despite that, we are still asked to prove our nationalism,” he said.
He lamented the recurring political experiments in Jammu and Kashmir, saying, “Since I joined politics, I have seen various experiments being conducted in J&K. But whenever the people are given the opportunity to choose freely, they repose their faith in the National Conference. That’s because NC wasn’t created by Delhi or any agency. It was born out of the aspirations of the people of this land.”
