Ishfaq Gulzar CNI

Srinagar, July 6: Senior National Conference (NC) leader and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s Advisor, Nasir Aslam Wani, on Saturday said that elections in Jammu and Kashmir should not be treated as a condition for restoring full statehood to the region.

Speaking to reporters, Wani made it clear that the NC is fully ready for elections whenever they are announced, but insisted that restoring statehood should not depend on holding polls.

He criticized media reports that claim assembly elections must be held first before statehood is returned. “We hear such things only through leaked or planted stories in the media,” he said. “There is no official proposal yet about holding fresh elections.”

Wani explained that to restore statehood, the Reorganisation Act needs to be changed, and the Legislative Council (Upper House) must be brought back. “Nowhere does it say that elections must happen first,” he added.

Wani also said the National Conference has never feared elections and has always been close to the people. “We are the only true grassroots party of Jammu and Kashmir. Our main demand is clear full statehood should be given back,” he said.

He also repeated NC’s demand for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to help rebuild trust between Kashmiri Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits. This idea was earlier proposed by Omar Abdullah to help heal wounds from the conflict of the 1990s.

Remembering that difficult period, Wani said many NC workers lost their lives for supporting democracy. “Our workers stood with the nation even when it was dangerous. Many were killed just because they chose unity and democracy,” he said.

He also spoke about repeated political experiments in J&K, saying people always turn to the NC when given a free choice. “NC wasn’t made in Delhi or by any agency. It was born out of the hopes and struggles of the people of this land,” Wani added.