Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday, 18 July formally declined an invitation from National Conference (NC) President Dr Farooq Abdullah to join the party's statehood restoration protest at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, scheduled for 20 July. In a sharply worded letter, Mufti argued that any agitation limited solely to the demand for statehood risks legitimising the abrogation of Article 370 on 5 August 2019.

Why the PDP Refused

Mufti stated that after consultations with senior PDP leaders, the party concluded it could not participate in a protest focused exclusively on restoring statehood. She contended that such a narrow framing 'echoes the BJP's narrative' by pushing Article 370 into the background and risks, in her words, 'whitewashing the illegal and unconstitutional actions of August 5, 2019.'

She reminded Dr Abdullah that both the PDP and the National Conference had explicitly promised the restoration of Article 370 in their 2024 Assembly election manifestos, and that the NC's strong electoral mandate reflected the people's faith in precisely that promise — not merely a return to statehood.

Broader Grievances Against the NC Government

Mufti's letter went beyond the protest dispute, levelling pointed criticism at the Omar Abdullah-led J&K government. She alleged the administration had remained a 'mute spectator' to a series of contentious developments, including the dismissal of government employees, action against Jamaat-e-Islami and its affiliated institutions, arbitrary detentions, restrictions on literature, and environmental degradation.

She also recalled writing to Farooq Abdullah earlier, proposing a united political initiative among regional parties — similar to the solidarity displayed by Ladakh's leaders in seeking constitutional safeguards — and said she had not received even a formal acknowledgement of that letter.

The Constitutional Argument

At the heart of Mufti's position is the assertion that the constitutional guarantees underpinning J&K's accession to India were removed 'in a single stroke' in 2019, and that the people of the region continue to bear the 'collective humiliation and dehumanisation' that followed. She warned that reducing the political struggle to statehood alone would be a 'grave injustice' and 'a betrayal' of their constitutional rights.

Notably, she cautioned that protesting solely for statehood could be interpreted as an implicit endorsement of the events of 5 August 2019 — a framing that underscores the ideological fault line now visible between the two largest regional parties in J&K.

What Mufti Is Calling For

Rather than joining the Jantar Mantar demonstration, Mufti urged Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to convene an all-party meeting involving regional political parties and civil society to chart a common road map on the political and constitutional issues confronting J&K. She also called for the release of political prisoners and the lifting of restrictions on socio-political organisations, including Jamaat-e-Islami, saying these demands must form part of any meaningful political engagement.

Despite her refusal to participate, Mufti extended her best wishes for the success of the National Conference's proposed protest — a diplomatic flourish that does little to mask the deepening strategic divergence between the two parties ahead of what could be a defining period for J&K's political future.