Srinagar, Oct 30: National Conference (NC) leader and MLA Tanvir Sadiq announced on Wednesday that no party leader would attend the Union Territory Foundation Day function scheduled for Thursday.
The event, which marks the day Jammu and Kashmir transitioned from statehood to Union Territory status on October 31, 2019, will be observed with a ceremony in Srinagar, where Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha is expected to be the chief guest.
“None of us will go to the UT Foundation Day. Because we do not accept the UT Foundation Day,” Sadiq, the party’s Chief Spokesperson and Head of Communications, told reporters in Srinagar.
Sadiq criticized the 2019 decision that revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, describing it as “unconstitutional and immoral.”
He emphasized the party’s call for the swift restoration of statehood, adding, “We want that the statehood be restored as soon as possible so that we can enjoy our state as well, like the other states.”
The NC’s stance against UT Day celebrations reflects a continuation of last year’s stance , when NC Vice President Omar Abdullah referred to October 31 as a “day of mourning.”
Last year, the Congress party in Jammu and Kashmir marked October 31 as a “black day,” staging protests in both Srinagar and Jammu to voice their opposition. The demonstrations were led by then-Congress J&K President Viqar Rasool Wani in Srinagar and Working President Raman Bhalla in Jammu. (Agencies)