Srinagar, April 17: Former RAW chief A.S. Dulat’s latest book has stirred political waters in Kashmir by presenting a layered, sometimes contradictory portrait of National Conference patriarch Dr. Farooq Abdullah.
In an interview with Karan Thapar for The Wire, Dulat maintained, “Will apologise to him if revealing this has upset him,” in response to Abdullah’s strong rebuttal, calling the book’s claims “cheap stunts for book sales.”
Dulat begins with admiration: “Farooq is Kashmir, Farooq is National Conference.” But the book paints a more complex picture. One striking revelation is that post-2019 abrogation of Article 370, Abdullah allegedly told Dulat in 2020 that had Delhi taken the NC into confidence, “we could’ve helped pass it through the Assembly.”
This raises serious political and moral questions: Was Farooq willing to support Article 370’s abrogation if approached differently? Dulat interprets his words to mean, “We could’ve found ways of overcoming this—without the shock, troops, and fear.”
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Yet, Dulat also writes that while Farooq wanted to be on Delhi’s side, “he does not trust Delhi.” His desire to align with Delhi, Dulat claims, stems from a need to avoid jail, unlike his father Sheikh Abdullah: “I am not my father; I did not join politics to spend my time in jail.”
The book also explores tensions between Farooq and his son Omar Abdullah. Dulat recalls Omar’s 2002 campaign, where he invoked Sheikh Abdullah repeatedly, bypassing his father. Locals quipped: “Yeh baap bhi baap hai”—a sign of a deeper father-son rift.
When questioned about poll rigging by journalist Harinder Baweja, Farooq reportedly lost his temper. Is he in denial? Or is Delhi playing the same old game—using and discarding Kashmir’s political leaders?
The contradictions—Farooq’s loyalty to Delhi despite mistrust, his denied involvement in the 370 talks, and Omar’s political distancing—paint a portrait both tragic and revealing.
As Dulat offers both admiration and subtle indictment, one wonders: Is this an honest memoir, or a strategic balancing act?
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