Farooq Abdullah

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said it is responsibility of the Jammu and Kashmir government to provide basic amenities like water and electricity to Rohingya refugees residing in the region. The Government of India brought the refugees here. We did not bring them. They have settled them here, and as long as they are here, it is our duty to provide them with water and electricity. This is our responsibility", Abdullah told reporters during a visit to Kathua. His remarks come a day after the BJP termed the settlement of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis in Jammu city a major "political conspiracy" and demanded a CBI probe to identify those involved in facilitating it. Hitting out at the National Conference (NC) government over remarks on granting water and power connections to them in Jammu, the BJP had also alleged it was done to protect them as they belong to a particular community. According to government data, more than 13,700 foreigners, most of them Rohingy

National Conference supremo Farooq Abdullah on Monday expressed dismay over the state of the Jammu Smart City project and criticised the lack of visible development and basic infrastructure. He also called for a revival of communal harmony in Jammu and Kashmir through restoration of the Darbar Move. "I feel ashamed when I see your so-called smart city. I do not consider this a smart city. I don't see any functioning lights anywhere. What kind of smart city is this?" he told reporters. Abdullah, who visited the city's Raghunath bazaar late at night, took a dig at the those executing the Jammu Smart City project. "Simply calling it a smart city does not make it one. It needs to be developed as such to truly be called a smart city." He also lamented that the people of the region had been silently enduring these shortcomings. "The people here do not protest; they simply endure everything," the former chief minister of the erstwhile state said. Extending new year greetings, Abdullah .

Asserting that Jammu and Kashmir will remain an integral part of India, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said those nurturing illogical dreams of independence should shun it as they are unaware of the ground realities. The veteran politician said the fact that the Indian cricket team is not likely to visit Pakistan for the Champions Trophy early next year shows the strained relations between the two countries. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a private function here, Abdullah also expressed grief over the death of children in a fire at a medical college in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi district and demanded a thorough investigation into the tragic incident. Asked about the Oxford University's debating society Oxford Union hosting an event titled "This house believes in the independent state of Kashmir" on Thursday, the former chief minister said there are people who want to do such things across the world. "It is not easy to be independent. On one side, th

The BJP's onslaught on the Congress over Article 370 of the Constitution is aimed at weakening the opposition party and winning the elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah said on Saturday. However, the veteran leader said they will not allow the Congress to be weakened and expressed hope that the INDIA bloc will emerge victorious in the Assembly polls in both the states. Talking to reporters after attending a private function here, Abdullah said he has no doubt about the return of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Asked about the statements of Congress leaders that there is no mention of restoration of Article 370 in a recently-passed resolution in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Abdullah said they have their own purpose because their party is under attack from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah "shouting repeatedly at them just to win the elections". "They (BJP) are think

National Conference President Farooq Abdullah on Friday reiterated his call for the immediate restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, calling it a crucial step to resolve the myriad of issues facing the region. After paying obeisance at the Gurudwara Sahib in Chand Nagar on the occasion of Guru Nanak Dev's 555th birth anniversary, Abdullah hoped for greater political representation of the Sikh community, asserting that one day, Sikhs will not only have roles in the government, but also in the Assembly to effectively raise and address their issues. The veteran NC leader was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary and Cabinet minister Javaid Rana, "The Central government should restore statehood to J-K at the earliest as it will help resolve most of our problems," Abdullah said. Urging the Sikh community to draw inspiration from Guru Nanak Dev, he said, "On this sacred day, demand with strength that our conditions improve and we become free from bureaucra

The ruling National Conference (NC) on Saturday sought an inquiry into the spike in terrorist attacks in the Valley since Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was sworn in, saying some elements were trying to defame an elected government. "Violence is taking place. There should be an investigation into it. Those involved should be arrested alive. We will get to know who is doing it because there are attempts to defame us," NC president Farooq Abdullah said at a function here. Abdullah said the peaceful assembly election was a big achievement for the people of Kashmir, and it united the entire community. "We need to remain united, keeping our egos aside. Enemies are trying to attack us from all sides but we have to fight them," he added. His statement comes after four security personnel were injured in an encounter in the Khanyar area here on Saturday. Following the attack, security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the densely populated locality of Khanyar in the interior c

Earlier today, the National Conference President Farooq Abdullah demanded inquiry amid continuous terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir

On Friday, terrorists fired upon two non-locals in Mazhama, in the Magam area of Budgam district

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Friday said attacks like the one in Gulmarg would continue to occur until India and Pakistan found a way to be friends and that would end Jammu and Kashmir's troubles. Two soldiers and two Army porters were killed on Thursday after terrorists ambushed a force vehicle near Gulmarg in north Kashmir's Baramulla district. Another soldier and a porter were injured in the attack. "Such attacks will continue to take place in this state. You know where they come from and it will not stop until some way is found to get out of this trouble. I have been witnessing it for the last 30 years, innocent people are getting killed," Abdullah told reporters. "We are not going to become a part of Pakistan. So, why are they doing this? To disrupt our future? To make us poorer?" he asked. The former chief minister of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state said rather than fomenting trouble in the Union Territory, Pakistan should look towards its own plight

Former chief minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Monday lashed out at Pakistan for perpetrating terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, saying Islamabad will have to stop terror incidents here if it wants to have friendly relations with India. Abdullah said there can be no talks between New Delhi and Islamabad till the neighbouring country stops killings in Jammu and Kashmir. "I do not know what action India should take, that is the domain of the central government. It is a problem for us and we have been going through it for years now. I have been seeing it for 30 years now. I have told them many times to stop it but their thinking is like that only. "How can there be talks? You kill our innocent people and then you call for talks. First stop the killings," Abdullah said while commenting on the terror attack at a construction site in Ganderbal district on Sunday. The former chief minister said the attack was a painful incident as it led to killing of poor ..

It is a crown of thorns and may Allah help him fulfil the hopes of people, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said on Wednesday after his son Omar Abdullah took oath as the first chief minister of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Taking a cue from his grandfather, Zahir Abdullah, Omar Abdullah's son, said the new government's first priority is restoration of statehood. The state is full of challenges and I hope this government will do what it had promised in the election manifesto It is a crown of thorns and may (almighty) Allah succeed him (Omar) and he fulfils the people's hope. This is my message, Farooq Abdullah told reporters after the oath-taking ceremony at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC). After statehood, our true struggle (for restoration of) Article 370 will start. Article 370 will always be our priority, Zahir Abdullah added. Omar Abdullah heads the first elected government in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Articl

Abdullah also highlighted unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir, which he deemed a pressing issue

Congress MLAs will meet on Friday in Srinagar under JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra to elect their Legislature Party Leader, whose name will then go to the party's high command for approval

He further urged the Union government to provide maximum support to the Jammu and Kashmir assembly, highlighting the region's strategic importance as it shares borders with nuclear powers

J-K Assembly elections: The National Conference and Congress alliance is expected to secure 47 to 52 seats in 90-seat Assembly, well over the 46-majority mark

Farooq Abdullah dismissed any possibility of claiming the Chief Minister's position if his alliance emerges victorious in the J&K Assembly elections

Jammu and Kashmir elections: The elections were held in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1, with results expected to shape the region's political landscape for years to come

Amid speculation over possible permutations and combinations for government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah on Tuesday express hope for positive outcome."Here's wishing all my colleagues and allies the very best of luck for today. We fought the good fight & now, InshaAllah, the results will reflect that." he said.Earlier on Monday, Omar Abdullah said that PDP has not offered support and called for putting end to all speculations till the results are out.He was commenting on his father Farooq Abdullah's remarks that the National Conference-Congress alliance will take support of PDP even if it does not need it as "we have to go ahead together"."They haven't extended support, they haven't offered support and we don't know what the voters have decided yet, so I really wish we could put a lid on all this premature speculation for the next 24 hours," Omar Abdullah said in a post on X.The Election Commission of India said that an overall

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Monday said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visiting Pakistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting is a "good step" and hoped that the ties between the two countries will improve. India on Friday announced that Jaishankar will travel to Pakistan to attend a conclave of the SCO. Pakistan is hosting the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting on October 15 and 16. It will be for the first time in nearly nine years that India's external affairs minister will travel to Pakistan even as the ties between the two neighbours remain frosty over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. "Jaishankar ji is going to Pakistan for an SCO meeting. It's a very good step. I hope both countries think along the lines of friendship," Abdullah told PTI here. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said he would like to remind Jaishankar that former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had once sa