"Who Knows, It May Come Back In 200 Years": Farooq Abdullah On Article 370

Farooq Abdullah, the former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, said today that the Supreme Court judgment backing the Centre may not be the final frame on Article 370.

"We respect the order. But it was the same Supreme Court, its three judges, which had held Article 370 as permanent. Does it still stand? Who knows what future holds? We will go to court again someday. Then we will see what it decides," Mr Abdullah told NDTV in an exclusive interview.

"It took 70 years to pull down Article 370. Who knows it may come back in another 200 years," he added.

The Supreme Court order of Monday has brought despondency in Jammu and Kashmir, where many had hoped the verdict to be in their favour.  Several, like National Conference chief Omar Abdullah, have said the "struggle will go on".

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, former J&K Governor Karan Singh said the judgment did not mark the beginning of an era, as many are calling it, but a "new chapter" for Jammu and Kashmir..

The top court had backed the Centre's move to scrap Article 370 saying the Article, declared temporary by the Constitution, was only meant to ease Jammu and Kashmir's integration with India.

Jammu and Kashmir did not retain sovereignty when it joined India and its constituent assembly ceased to exist the moment it merged with India, added the five-judge constitution bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud.

Jammu and Kashmir should be put on par with other states "at the earliest", the Supreme Court further said, ordering the Centre to hold elections by September next year and restore statehood.

Article 370 was scrapped and Jammu and Kashmir split in August 2019 – over a year after the PDP-BJP alliance government had collapsed . It took place while the erstwhile state was under President's Rule.