Srinagar, Nov 5 : Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday categorically denied having held any discussions with National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over Article 370 in 2024 or at any earlier stage, dismissing claims of political consultations between the three leaders as entirely fabricated.
Azad also rejected speculation about his return to Kashmir amid the latest political developments, including Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi’s departure from the National Conference, and denied being in contact with any leader over the formation of a new political front.
“I have never discussed Article 370 with Farooq Sahib and Omar Sahib, either in 2024 or before that. The three of us have never sat together for such a discussion. We never even met in that manner. How could such a discussion have taken place?” Azad said.
Azad said the only occasion on which he had met Omar Abdullah in the relevant political context was at a gathering of opposition leaders in Pahalgam, where the interaction took place in the presence of other political representatives.
“We met when Omar Sahib had called a meeting of opposition leaders in Pahalgam. It was not a separate meeting. Everyone was present. Therefore, whatever is being circulated about discussions between me, Farooq Sahib and Omar Sahib is completely false,” he said.
The former Chief Minister expressed concern that unverified claims circulating on social media were being repeated as established facts and subsequently put to political leaders for reactions.
“For the past two days, I have received dozens of recordings from people asking what is happening in Kashmir and whether I am forming a party with Ruhullah Sahib or someone else. All this is completely wrong,” Azad said.
He said he had neither initiated discussions with any political leader nor received any communication concerning a possible alliance or new political formation.
“I have not spoken to anyone. I am not in touch with anyone regarding any such arrangement. Nobody has approached me, and I have approached nobody,” he said.
Rejecting reports that he had already reached Kashmir to participate in political consultations, Azad said he remained in New Delhi and had no immediate travel plans for Jammu and Kashmir.
“I am sitting in Delhi, and some channels are saying I have reached Kashmir. I have not even made a programme to visit Kashmir or Jammu. Yet they have already sent me there through their channels,” he remarked.
Asked specifically about reports linking him with Ruhullah and Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid in a possible political realignment, Azad described the speculation as baseless.
He said his willingness to speak with political leaders should not be confused with negotiations for an alliance.
“I can talk to anyone. I am not an enemy of anybody. But that does not mean the stories being circulated are true,” he said.
On Ruhullah’s decision to leave the National Conference and resign from Parliament, Azad declined to question the former Srinagar MP’s political judgment, describing the development as an internal matter of the party.
“People join political parties and people leave them. I also left the Congress because there were internal problems. They may have their own internal issues. It is their personal matter, and I do not want to interfere,” he said.
Azad described the National Conference as one of the major political parties, saying differences and departures were not unusual in organisations with a long political history.
“The National Conference is a very big party, almost like the Congress in its political standing. It is counted among the major parties. Every big party has internal problems. Some people come, some people go,” he said.
Asked about Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s reported reaction to claims attributed to him concerning earlier political discussions, Azad said he had neither seen nor heard the particular programme and would not respond to remarks without verifying their context.
“Omar Sahib is a well-educated man. He is young, and sometimes young people become emotional. But I would request all political leaders, not just Omar Sahib, to verify such claims before reacting,” he said.
He urged politicians to directly contact one another when confronted with claims attributed to fellow leaders.
“If somebody tells a leader that Azad has said something, I would request that leader to pick up the phone and ask me. I will always respond,” he said.
Azad maintained that political disagreements should not descend into personal attacks.
“There can be political differences, and I can speak about those differences. But I am strongly against making personal attacks on any political leader,” he said.
Turning to the wider political situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Azad played down suggestions that the recent developments could fundamentally alter the region’s political landscape.
He said political uncertainty and internal disagreements were not confined to Jammu and Kashmir but were visible across political systems internationally and within India.
“Political unrest exists in many parts of the world, in many states of India and within political parties. Jammu and Kashmir is also part of that world. People come and go, governments are formed and governments continue. I do not think these developments will make such a big difference,” he said.
However, the former Chief Minister warned that repeated political divisions in Jammu and Kashmir had historically weakened governance and harmed public interests.
Recalling his own tenure as Chief Minister, Azad said political breakups were not new to the region.
“Even when I was Chief Minister, there was a breakup. These breakups have been happening in Jammu and Kashmir for years. Nobody benefited from them. It is the state, its administrative system and its people who have suffered,” he said.
Azad also appealed to journalists and social media platforms to exercise greater caution while reporting politically sensitive developments, saying credibility depended on verifying information before publication.
He acknowledged the growing role of young people in digital journalism but said competition for attention should not come at the cost of accuracy.
“Social media has provided employment to many young people, and that is a good thing. I am not against it. But credibility is the most important thing in journalism. Information must be confirmed before it is circulated,” he said.
He added that Jammu and Kashmir already faced numerous challenges and that unverified political speculation only added to public confusion.
