Veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister Saifuddin Soz on Thursday, 2 July called for the restoration of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, urging regional parties and his own party to collectively press the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre to honour the trust that, in his words, 'a Muslim-majority state had placed while joining a Hindu-majority country.' The demand comes amid ongoing political debate over J&K's constitutional status following the Centre's 2019 abrogation.

Soz's Core Argument on Article 370

Soz maintained that the Union government did not have the authority to abrogate Article 370, describing it as the bedrock of Jammu and Kashmir's internal autonomy. 'Article 370 represents our internal autonomy,' he said, calling on the National Conference — the largest political party in the region — the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Apni Party, and the Congress to unite around a 'peaceful movement' for its reinstatement.

He argued that J&K's accession to India was grounded in the country's secular character and its tradition of tolerance. 'A Muslim-majority state accepted accession to a Hindu-majority country based on trust which has been broken by the Centre,' Soz said, warning that attempting to 'forcefully silence' the people through military and paramilitary deployment would be, in his words, 'ignorance and wrong.'

Call for Cross-Party Unity in J&K

Soz specifically urged the J&K Assembly and all major regional parties to jointly approach the Centre and make the constitutional and moral case for restoring autonomy. He stopped short of outlining a legislative mechanism but stressed the importance of a coordinated, non-confrontational approach. 'They should not impose their decision on us,' he said.

Notably, this is not the first time Soz has broken ranks with the dominant national narrative on J&K. His consistent advocacy for dialogue and autonomy has often placed him at odds with the Congress's more cautious national leadership on the issue.

India-Pakistan Dialogue: Soz Among 117 Signatories

Soz also referenced his decision to co-sign a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif, calling for an end to hostilities between the two nations. He was one of 117 signatories to that letter. 'Conflicts can be solved only through dialogue and not with war,' he asserted, drawing a parallel with European nations that eventually reached agreements after prolonged conflicts.

'Dialogue cannot take place in an atmosphere of war,' he added, emphasising that Pakistan remains India's neighbour and that resuming talks is both necessary and inevitable. The letter has drawn attention given the heightened India-Pakistan tensions in recent months.

Political and Constitutional Context

The Centre abrogated Article 370 in August 2019, bifurcating the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories — J&K and Ladakh. The Supreme Court of India upheld the abrogation in December 2023, though it directed the restoration of statehood for J&K at the earliest. The National Conference, which leads the current elected government in J&K, has passed a resolution in the Assembly seeking restoration of the special status — a demand the Centre has so far declined to act upon.

Soz's remarks add fresh pressure on the Congress to articulate a clearer position on Article 370, a subject the party has navigated cautiously at the national level ahead of future electoral contests.