Patron of National Conference and former union minister Farooq Abdullah advocated for restoration of pre-1953 position in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the pre-1953 position of the state, Jammu Kashmir was promised to have its own flag, its own prime minister instead of a chief minister and Sadr-e-Riyasat instead of the Governor as head of State, who was to be elected by the State assembly instead of being a nominee of the President of India.
It also envisaged exclusion of the juridiction of the Election Commission, the Supreme Court and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) over the state.
Abdullah stressed that better relations between New Delhi and Islamabad were a key to peace in Kashmir. He added that his party’s founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah always stood for friendly relations between the two neighbouring countries.
He said that his father Sheikh Abdullah believed that the way to India- Pakistan peace passed through Kashmir.
Highlighting the achievements of his father, Farooq Abdullah said that he gave the land to the tiller, provided free education, gave voting rights to people at the age of 18 when people in India could vote only after turning 21 and such.
The three-time chief minister urged his party workers to make the party strong at the grassroot level.
Talking about the implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in the state, Abdullah said that Omar Abdullah, party’s working president and former chief minister, had already termed it as an “anti-people” act and called for providing ration to the people on the previous pattern and as per the 2011 census.