National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday reaffirmed his commitment to restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, expressing confidence that it will be achieved soon.

“Inshallah, statehood will come soon. It will come,” Farooq Abdullah told reporters on Thursday.

Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary took a strong stance against former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s comments regarding the region’s current political situation.

“Mehbooba Mufti can say anything because she is the reason for the destruction of J&K. If J&K has lost its statehood and special status, it is because of her,” Choudhary said.

Earlier on March 3, LG Sinha addressed the inaugural session of the J-K Legislative Assembly’s Budget Session.

Manoj Sinha said that his government is steadfast in its commitment to the Union Territory’s statehood and is actively engaging with all stakeholders to facilitate this process.

“One of the foremost aspirations of the Jammu and Kashmir people is the restoration of the full statehood. My government remains steadfast in its commitment to addressing this legitimate desire of the citizens of J-K. My government recognizes the emotional and political significance of the statehood for the people and is actively engaging with all stakeholders to facilitate this process in a manner that ensures peace, stability and progress,” he said.

He emphasized that the budget represents a new era of participatory governance, ensuring that the need and aspirations of the common people remain at the heart of policy making.

Notably, the restoration of Article 370, the reinstatement of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, and the implementation of the autonomy resolution were key promises in the National Conference’s manifesto for the Jammu and Kashmir elections.

On August 2019, the Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi repealed Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, effectively ending the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)