Only Parliament can restore Article 370, statehood: Azad

Ganderbal, Sep 23: Chairman Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) and former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad Monday said that Article 370 and statehood could only be restored by the Parliament.

Talking to media persons in Ganderbal while campaigning for Qaisar Sultan, Azad said, “Only the Parliament can give back Article 370 and restore statehood of J&K. Whosoever the ruling party at the Centre, whether the present BJP or any other party, they should have a two-third majority in the Parliament to reverse Article 370 decision.”

He said that he was the only parliamentarian who spoke about Article 370 in the Parliament.

“It was after my six speeches that the Home Minister gave a statement about the assurance of restoration of statehood to J&K,” he said.

“When I floated DPAP and had my first party meeting, I said that I fought bravely for Article 370 and statehood. Nobody in the Parliament knew until I said that Article 35-A was a pre-independence thing,” Azad said.

He said that the political parties were not enemies but competitors.

“Like in a class, we are all good friends but there is a competition. So I take every political party and leader as my competitor not as my enemy,” Azad said.

He underscored that the upcoming election was not solely about reinstating rights, but also about addressing pressing public concerns like escalating electricity tariffs, unemployment, and issues affecting the people.