‘Country’s strength in strong states’: Farooq Abdullah extends I-Day greetings, seeks J-K statehood

S i aga ,
Aug
14
(PTI):
Natio al
Co fe e ce
(NC)
p eside t
Fa ooq
Abdullah
o
F iday
said
I depe de ce
Day
is
a
occasio
to
eaffi m
the
atio ‘s
commitme t
to
democ acy,
secula ism,
co stitutio al
values
a d
fede alism
as
he
sought
esto atio
of
statehood
fo
Jammu
a d
Kashmi .

I
a
stateme t,
Abdullah
exte ded
wa m
g eeti gs
to
the
people
of
I dia,
pa ticula ly
the
people
of
Jammu
a d
Kashmi ,
o
the
eve
of
80th
I depe de ce
Day.

He
said
it
is
a
occasio
to
emembe
the
sac ifices
made
fo
the
cou t y’s
f eedom
a d
to
eaffi m
the
atio ‘s
commitme t
to
democ acy,
secula ism,
co stitutio al
values
a d
fede alism.

The
th ee-time
chief
mi iste
of
the
e stwhile
state
of
Jammu
a d
Kashmi
said
the
day
should
i spi e
collective
esolve
to
st e gthe
these
fou datio al
p i ciples
a d
deepe
democ atic
i stitutio s.

Emphasisi g
the
impo ta ce
of
a
st o g
fede al
st uctu e,
Abdullah
said
I dia’s
st e gth
a d
esilie ce
lies
i
its
dive sity,
plu ality
a d
the
co stitutio al
bala ce
betwee
the
U io
a d
the
states.

He
st essed
that
empowe i g
states,
safegua di g
thei
co stitutio al
space
a d
st e gthe i g
thei
i stitutio s
we e
esse tial
to
p ese vi g
the
spi it
of
coope ative
fede alism.

“Whe
the
states
a e
st o g,
the
cou t y
is
st o g.
I
the
same
spi it
the
statehood
of
Jammu
a d
Kashmi
must
be
esto ed
without
a y
fu the
delay.
This
would
ot
o ly
ho ou
the
democ atic
aspi atio s
a d
se time ts
of
the
people
of
Jammu
a d
Kashmi
but
would
also
ei fo ce
the
fede al
cha acte
of
the
I dia
U io ,”
he
said.

The
NC
chief
said
the
people
of
Jammu
a d
Kashmi
had
pa ticipated
e thusiastically
i
the
democ atic
p ocess
two
yea s
ago
a d
exe cised
thei
f a chise
to
elect
a
popula
gove me t.

Howeve ,
he
said,
the
elected
gove me t
co ti ues
to
fu ctio
without
the
full
co stitutio al
a d
admi ist ative
powe s
o di a ily
available
to
a
state
gove me t.

“The
esse ce
of
democ acy
is
that
people’s
ma date
must
t a slate
i to
mea i gful
autho ity.
I depe de ce
Day
p ovides
a
oppo tu ity
to
eaffi m
ou
faith
i
democ acy,
fede alism
a d
the
people’s
ight
to
gove
themselves
th ough
thei
elected
ep ese tatives.

“The
esto atio
of
statehood
to
Jammu
a d
Kashmi
is
the efo e
both
a
democ atic
impe ative
a d
a
impo ta t
step
towa ds
st e gthe i g
public
co fide ce
i
I dia’s
fede al
st uctu e,”
he
added.

Mea while,
the
stateme t
said,
Abdullah
paid
obeisa ce
at
the
histo ic
Haz atbal
Sh i e
a d
offe ed
F iday
p aye s
the e.

He
p ayed
fo
lasti g
peace
a d
stability
i
Jammu
a d
Kashmi ,
the
p og ess
a d
well-bei g
of
the
Muslim
Ummah,
the
welfa e
a d
p ospe ity
of
huma ity,
a d
peace,
justice
a d
elief
fo
the
Palesti ia
people,
it
said.

He
also
appealed
to
the
faithful
to
offe
special
p aye s
fo
the
welfa e
of
the
Muslim
Ummah
a d
fo
a
e d
to
the
“suffe i g
a d
ha dships
bei g
faced
by
the
Palesti ia
people”.
PTI
SSB
PRK

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