National Conference (NC) parliamentarian Mohammad Akbar Lone on Wednesday said his party would not participate in elections unless the pre-Aug 5 status was restored.
Lone, a member of the Lok Sabha from north Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency, said his party had not changed its “mission” and would continue to struggle “without wavering”.
The MP, who is among the few senior party leaders who are not under detention, said the NC would not participate in any election if the Article 370 and the statehood (the pre-August 5 status) was not restored.
“We will not participate till pre-August 5 status is restored. We will not contest any election,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a party meeting held at the NC head office here.
Lone said it was a routine meeting of party members and leaders belonging to the south Kashmir region. “Our leadership is detained, so we want to continue the routine work which would have been done in their presence,” he said.
The NC is the oldest political party in the Kashmir valley and has governed the state for most years in the past five decades. The party, however, faced a major crackdown in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5.
The party’s senior leaders, including its president Farooq Abdullah and vice-president Omar Abdullah, have been under detention for the last five months.
Lone said “not a single member” associated with the NC was part of meetings with the Central government. “Those who have met their names have come in newspapers. They have no public trust and people have rejected them in the past and will reject them again,” Lone said.
Lone said he would not resign from the Lok Sabha because “it will gain nothing” for his party. “We will not be able to take if we resign,” he said.(TNS)
