After more than a year, NC shows a willingness to participate in delimitation process

After abstaining from the delimitation process in Jammu and Kashmir for more than a year, the regional National Conference on Tuesday hinted that it was willing to take part in the process in the future.

“The National Conference is not against the delimitation process in Jammu and Kashmir. (But) the method adopted (by the Center) is not in tandem with the procedure,” NC president and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah said while addressing a virtual meeting of the party’s provincial committee members.

The Delimitation Commission was constituted by the Center last year in March to redraw Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir and the northeastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland.

However, three members of the NC – Farooq Abdullah, Akbar Lone and Hasnain Masoodi (all MPs) – had not accepted their positions as part of the Commission since that would “tantamount to accepting the events of 5th August 2019”—when the special status of the erstwhile state was abrogated.

In Tuesday’s virtual meeting, presided over by Abdullah, the NC besides showing a willingness to participate in further process of delimitation, also asserted that “it will uphold the interests of the people at all costs in every forum.

“Political issues post 5 August 2019 have been challenged by the party in the apex court of the country,” an NC statement said without elaborating further.

Abdullah also exhorted the cadre to further strengthen its rank and file to meet the challenges faced to Jammu and Kashmir unitedly and by “upholding the cherished philosophy of communal and regional amity.”

Addressing the virtual meet, the NC vice president and former CM, Omar Abdullah expressed concern over the “uncertainty looming large in J&K.”

“The National Conference has, is and will remain in the forefront to seek justice for the people of all the regions and the sub-regions of J&K. Public interest is sacrosanct for us”, he said and urged the cadre to articulate the problems of the people for seeking redressal to these.