Jammu: National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah said that his party will continue the fight for the restoration of Article 370 "democratically, constitutionally and politically". He added that it is their right.
"I am not among those who will give up. We have faith in the Supreme Court but our only request is that at least it should listen to us", said the politician.
His party has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Centre's August 5, 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370. The former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir said that he believes NC has a strong case.
Abdullah observed that it is a good sign that the Supreme Court is taking time to deliberate. The government of India wants the matter to be decided soon. He added that he would have felt uneasy if the Supreme Court had acted swiftly on a batch of petitions related to the issue. Taking time is a sign that the court knows NC's case is strong.
He said on Saturday that NC is not on the roads or misleading the public or taking the law into its hands for the restoration of Article 370.
Speaking about the expectations from the Centre, Abdullah said his party has not demanded the union government that Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 be restored as they took it away in the first place. "We have not demanded it from the central government. The one who had taken it away from us, should I hope that they will return it to us."
He noted that he does not expect Article 370 will be restored if another party comes to power at the Centre because very few parties have backed NC's stand. "I will not tell people to wait till 2024 (elections) as the government is changing, which I do not see happening. It is a political fight and we are fighting it with a belief that we will win," he said.