Farooq Abdullah's Pakistan remark sparks row, BJP demands apology

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah has set off a political row after saying that Pakistan's efforts to raise the Kashmir issue internationally were protecting the people of Jammu and Kashmir from the Centre. The BJP called the remarks condemnable and anti-national and demanded that he apologise, Free Press Journal, Asianet Newsable and The NewsMill reported.

Abdullah, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and the father of the current chief minister, Omar Abdullah, made the comments at a party workers' convention in Baramulla in north Kashmir this week.

Key points

• Farooq Abdullah said Pakistan's continued efforts to raise Kashmir internationally were "putting pressure on India".
• He said the Centre's intentions towards Kashmiris were "not good" and accused it of not keeping its word on restoring statehood.
• J&K BJP president Sat Sharma demanded an apology; other BJP leaders called the remarks condemnable and anti-national.
• Some BJP leaders called for action against him; no police case had been reported at the time of writing.
• The row comes as Jammu and Kashmir's statehood has still not been restored, more than seven years after Article 370 was revoked.

What Farooq Abdullah said

Speaking to party workers in Baramulla, Abdullah said "Pakistan's continued efforts to raise the Kashmir issue internationally were putting pressure on India", Free Press Journal reported. Referring to Pakistan, he said: "He is protecting us; otherwise, their intentions are not good," according to the same report, questioning what Kashmiris could expect from New Delhi.

He also accused the Centre of not honouring its commitment to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, and argued that the government in Delhi acts only when it is under international scrutiny, Asianet Newsable and The NewsMill reported.

Abdullah has made similar remarks about Pakistan and dialogue in the past, and has often argued that India should talk to Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue. His comments come at a time of sharp tension between India and Pakistan, including exchanges at the United Nations this week.

Who is Farooq Abdullah

Farooq Abdullah, 89, is one of Jammu and Kashmir's most senior politicians and the president of the National Conference (NC), the party founded by his father, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah.

• He has been chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir three times: from 1982 to 1984, from 1986 to 1990 and from 1996 to 2002.
• He served as Union minister for new and renewable energy in the UPA government from 2009 to 2014.
• He has represented Srinagar in the Lok Sabha.
• His son, Omar Abdullah, became chief minister of the Union Territory in October 2024.

Abdullah is known for outspoken remarks, and has often called for dialogue with Pakistan. After Article 370 was revoked in August 2019, he was detained for several months under the Public Safety Act.

How the BJP responded

BJP leaders reacted sharply, according to Free Press Journal and The NewsMill:

Some BJP leaders accused him of adopting Pakistan's narrative and called for action against him. One report described the BJP as calling the remarks treason. At the time of writing, there was no report of a police complaint or case being registered.

The context: statehood and Article 370

Abdullah's remarks touch on the most sensitive political question in Jammu and Kashmir: statehood.

As a Union Territory, Jammu and Kashmir's elected government has limited powers, with key areas such as police and public order under the Lieutenant Governor. The National Conference has made statehood its central political demand.

Why the remark is controversial

Any suggestion that Pakistan is protecting Kashmiris is politically explosive in India. India's position is that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and that the Kashmir issue is a bilateral matter, with no role for third parties. India regularly rejects Pakistan's statements on Kashmir at international forums, and accuses Pakistan of supporting terrorism in the region.

For the BJP, the remarks give it an opportunity to attack the National Conference ahead of any future political contests in Jammu and Kashmir. For the National Conference, Abdullah's comments risk complicating its relationship with the Centre at a time when the Omar Abdullah government needs New Delhi's cooperation on statehood and development funds.

India's position on Kashmir abroad

India has long held that the Kashmir issue is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan, under the Simla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999, and that there is no role for third parties. Pakistan raises Kashmir at the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and other forums, and India routinely rejects its statements, often in sharp replies such as the one India's diplomat gave at the UN this week, when she said Pakistan had "no standing to lecture India".

Against that background, any Indian politician suggesting that Pakistan's international campaign helps Kashmiris is bound to draw strong criticism, which is what happened here.

The NC and the Centre

Since taking office in October 2024, Omar Abdullah's government has tried to work with the Centre on development and administration while pressing for statehood, a balance that remarks like Farooq Abdullah's can make harder. The National Conference is also allied with the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir, and the BJP has used the remarks to question that alliance too. How the party handles the row, by defending, clarifying or distancing itself from the comments, will matter for its relations with New Delhi in the months ahead.

What happens next

The BJP is likely to keep up its demand for an apology, while the National Conference may seek to clarify or defend Abdullah's comments. A response from the party or from Omar Abdullah's government had not been reported at the time of writing. We will update this story with any response.

The words were spoken at a party convention, but they have reopened one of the oldest arguments in Indian politics: who speaks for Kashmir, and to whom.