Ghulam Nabi Azad

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah highlighted the absence of prominent Muslim leaders on the national stage when the community faces challenges, and said Ghulam Nabi Azad could have played the leadership role within the Congress, but his fledgling DPAP is limited to just the Chenab Valley now. Abdullah emphasised the need for a strong national-level Muslim leader to give Muslims in the rest of the country "some reassurance". Azad had ended his more than five-decade-long association with the Congress in August 2022 and launched his own party -- the Democratic Azad party (DAP) -- the next month. "Unfortunately, he (Azad) was a man who would have been on the forefront of the Congress campaign. He would have been on the forefront of the leadership role within the Congress. I don't know what went wrong but I feel bad...we don't have many many Muslim leaders on the national stage," Abdullah said. Azad not being there is a loss to the wider Muslim community, especially

A turnout of 39 per cent among Kashmiri migrant voters was recorded in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in the Srinagar parliamentary constituency on Monday. There has been a marked increase in the number of votes cast by migrants as compared to 2019 and 2014. However, scores of displaced Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu were unable to vote on Monday due to their names missing from the electoral rolls. "Thirty-nine per cent polling was registered by Kashmiri migrants across the country for the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency," Assistant Electoral Returning Officer for Migrants, Riaz Ahmed, told PTI tonight. He said that of this, 38.73 per cent of votes were polled in Jammu. "Of the total 17,240 votes, 6,700 votes were polled," he said. A voter turnout of around 38 per cent took place in the redrawn Srinagar Lok Sabha seat without any untoward incident on Monday, the highest since 1996 when the constituency in Kashmir recorded nearly 41 per cent polling. Even as Kashmiri Pand

Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairperson Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday welcomed the Election Commission's decision to postpone polls in the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency and said this has relieved several political parties. Azad emphasized the importance of the assembly elections over parliamentary elections stating it is very important to have a legislative assembly and legislators put in place through polls. "It is never too late. The decision of the Election Commission of India has relieved us. I thank the ECI for taking this right decision. All political parties will benefit from the decision. Actually, all parties are happy," he told reporters here. Azad, who is on campaign trial in Rajouri for his party's candidate Mohammad Saleem pitted in triangular contest with PDP's Mehbooba Mufti and NC's Mian Altaf on Anantnag-Rajouri seat, pointed out that the Election Commission should have scheduled polling in this constituency for the sixth or seventh phase. He explained

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has pooh-poohed the claims made by rival National Conference and PDP that his newly- formed party was in cahoots with the BJP and asked whether they are the 'B' teams of the saffron party going by their past coalition arrangements. Talking to PTI Videos, Azad, who is contesting on his Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), highlighted his party's primary focus on reinstating full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and not on the lines that union territories like Delhi and Puducherry enjoy. To a question that his party was seen as a B team of the BJP, Azad pointed out past associations of regional parties with the saffron party. "A and B team are those from the valley who have been ministers in the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, father of the BJP, or those who enjoyed governance with the help of saffron party MLAs in the erstwhile state," he said. He highlighted his independent political stance, emphasising the need for ..

Senior political leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday indicated that he would not be contesting in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as he would be campaigning for the candidates of his newly formed Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) candidates. Azad, who has refrained from contesting Lok Sabha elections after his defeat in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, asked his party men to gear up as 2024 would be the election year for Jammu and Kashmir. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in Nagrota, Azad, who resigned from Congress after decades of association, also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the issues of agitating farmers "once for all" as the protest is neither good for the government nor the farmers. "Parliament election is 100 percent taking place on its time and I can only guess about the assembly polls (in J&K) as I have no contact with the Election Commission or government. But it (assembly elections) has to take place as the Supreme Court has set .

Speaking to ANI, the founder-chairman of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party stressed the need for all political parties to set aside their differences and come together to fight terror

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The top court in its verdict stated that Article 370 was a temporary provision and the state of Jammu and Kashmir did not retain any element of sovereignty

Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday termed the Supreme Court's verdict on pleas challenging the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution "sad and unfortunate", but said "we have to accept it". "It (the court verdict) is sad and unfortunate," Azad told reporters here. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said the people of the region are not happy with the verdict delivered by a five-judge bench of the apex court. "But we have to accept it (the verdict)," he added. The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the Centre's decision to abrogate Article 370, which bestowed a special status on the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, and said steps should be taken to conduct elections to the Assembly by September 30 next year. The apex court also directed that statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir be restored at the earliest.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad expressed hope on Sunday that the Supreme Court will deliver a verdict in favour of the people here on a bunch of petitions challenging the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution in 2019. "I have said it earlier ... there are only two (institutions) that can return articles 370 and 35A to the people of Jammu and Kashmir -- Parliament and the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court bench is non-partisan and we hope that it will give a decision in favour of the people of Jammu and Kashmir," Azad told reporters here. Azad, who floated the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) after parting ways with the Congress, said he cannot foresee Parliament reversing the decisions taken on August 5, 2019 as it would require a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha. "To return Article 370 and Article 35A would require 350 seats (in the Lok Sabha). Any regional party in Jammu and Kashmir can get three, four or a maximum of

Democratic Progressive Azad Party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday said the outcome of the elections to four state assemblies will have a bearing on next year's Lok Sabha polls. "We are just there-and-a-half months away from the Lok Sabha elections. The results of these (assembly) polls will definitely have a bearing on the parliamentary elections," Azad told reporters earlier in the day when the trends began to come in. The BJP is set to win in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, according to the latest counting trends, while the Congress is ahead in Telangana. Azad said, "One thing I have noticed over the past 25 days is that the Congress has abandoned the minorities. The debates from both the BJP and the Congress were limited to the backward classes -- they asked about how many chief ministers are from backward classes." "Not one leader from the Congress asked even once how many chief ministers are there from the minorities," he added. Azad -- who quit the Congress to

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Marking the fourth anniversary of the much-debated move this month, the BJP hailed the new era of peace, development and prosperity in Kashmir since the revocation of Article 370

Divisive elements are hell-bent on disturbing peace among communities in Jammu and Kashmir, Democratic Progressive Azad Party chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Saturday. Addressing a public meeting at the Gaglla area of Doda on the first day of his 10-day tour of Chenab valley, Azad said the Union Territory has already suffered during 33 years of militancy that led to the loss of precious lives, collapse of the local economy, and lack of development. "We cannot afford instability in the region as elements are out there to exploit and vitiate the peaceful atmosphere, thereby the need of the hour is to remain vigilant and united, the DPAP supremo said without identifying the divisive individuals or groups. The former chief minister said the strong bonding between different communities in Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal is an example of how people uphold and cherish secular values in their respective communities by living in harmony for ages despite disturbance in neighbourhood ...

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Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal will appear on behalf of the DPAP during hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 in the Supreme Court, the Ghulam Nabi Azad-led party said on Wednesday. The Supreme Court will commence day-to-day hearing from August 2 on a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 that bestowed special status on the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud fixed July 27 as the deadline for filing of written submissions and convenience compilations by different parties. "We requested senior lawyer Kapil Sibal to appear for the hearings on Article 370 and he has graciously agreed," said Salman Nizami, the chief spokesperson of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP). "Nothing has changed after the revocation of Article 370. Kudos to Ghulam Nabi Azad for his unwavering dedication in raising this important issue," he added. In 2019, the Centre stripped

Former Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday cautioned the Centre over implementing a uniform civil code, saying it will affect all religions. Talking to reporters here, he also said that implementing UCC will not be "easy as it was to revoke Article 370". "There is no question (of implementing it). It is not easy as it was to revoke Article 370. All religions are involved in it. Not only Muslims, but Christians and Sikhs also, tribals, Jains, Parsis, annoying all these people at once, will not be good for any government," the chairman of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party said. "So, I suggest this government to not even think about taking this step," he said.

Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chief Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court's recent announcement that it will hear a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution on July 11. Nearly four years after the government abrogated the provisions of Article 370 that bestowed a special status on the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud will take up a batch of pleas challenging the decision for hearing on July 11. Azad highlighted the significance of the top court's attention to these petitions, emphasising his optimism for a favourable outcome. "After a long time, the Supreme Court has taken note of the petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370. I am hopeful about a positive outcome as I aspire for the restoration of full rights, which got annulled following the abrogation on August 5, 2019," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister ...

DPAP chief Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday said he would fight for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood and the job and land rights of its people if the party wins the Assembly elections. He said a progressive Jammu and Kashmir is possible only if people stand united and defeat the politics of hate as he called for unity and harmony among all communities. "The people of J&K must rise above personal beliefs and find a common path to usher a new dawn of peace and prosperity as the Union Territory is lagging far behind due to divisive and petty politics by successive regimes, Azad said addressing a party function in Akhnoor sector here. Aam Aadmi Party leader Rattan Lal joined the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) along with his supporters on the occasion. Welcoming the new entrants, Azad said a lot more needs to be done for the development of Jammu and Kashmir. "When I was the chief minister, relief was provided to people and the speed of developmental work was ...

Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chief Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday said all parliamentarians should welcome the construction of a new Parliament building. The former Congress leader, however, added that the idea of the construction of a new Parliament building was first mooted during the time of the P V Narasimha Rao government, but was later sent to the cold storage. "It (the construction of a new Parliament building) is a good thing. It is a good Parliament (house). It was proposed during the Narasimha Rao government but it could not be done. Now that it has been constructed, all parliamentarians should welcome it," Azad told reporters here. "I have no opposition to it," he added. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said people are facing problems due to the absence of a legislative setup in the Union Territory. "Seats of MLAs are vacant. Restoration of this setup can mitigate the problems of the people," he said. Azad stressed the need for the restoration of the