SRINAGAR, Sept 25: National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday warned that the situation in Ladakh has become dangerous and called on the Centre to initiate immediate dialogue with local stakeholders to prevent further escalation.
NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah urged the Centre to initiate talks immediately over the Ladakh crisis.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Abdullah said, “This is a border state. China is sitting on our land. Such a situation is dangerous for our country. Please solve this problem quickly and take the path of dialogue before the fire starts again.”
He highlighted that people in Ladakh, including children and families, have been protesting peacefully for the past five years seeking statehood and Sixth Schedule status. “Activist Sonam Wangchuk walked from Leh to Delhi to draw attention to their plight. But promises of jobs, facilities, and opportunities made to them turned hollow, leading to this unrest,” he said.
Abdullah rejected claims that the protests were externally instigated, saying, “This is the voice of the people, the voice of their hearts. It is not coming from outside. The Centre should not wait any longer and must learn a lesson from this situation.”
He also drew parallels with Jammu and Kashmir’s pending statehood restoration. “Promises were made to us as well – first delimitation, then elections, then statehood. It’s been 11 months since elections and no statehood has been given. The Centre should learn a lesson from Ladakh,” Abdullah added.
Rejecting BJP’s allegation that Congress was behind the violence, Abdullah said, “They have been running the government there since 2019. This is not Congress. This is the voice of the people. Do not point fingers, solve the issue.”
He defended Wangchuk against charges of provocation, stating, “Wangchuk has never left the Gandhian path. Today’s youth feel that path will not work anymore and have taken matters into their own hands.”
When asked if the unrest could spread to Kashmir, Abdullah said, “The National Conference will never take a path where our children are killed. We never wanted that and do not want anyone in J&K to lose their life.”
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Labels: Farooq Abdullah, Ladakh, Politics, Statehood Demand
Tags: #FarooqAbdullah #LadakhProtests #Statehood #SixthSchedule #SonamWangchuk #NC
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