A recent revelation by former RAW chief A.S. Dulat in his book “The Chief Minister and the Spy” has stirred significant controversy for Jammu and Kashmir’s ruling National Conference (NC). The book claims that former Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah was secretly in agreement when Article 370 was abrogated.
The National Conference has strongly denied Dulat’s claim, dismissing it as “a figment of fiction.” However, the assertion has reignited political debate across J&K, with many leaders questioning the stance allegedly taken by Dr. Farooq Abdullah as presented in the book.
Dulat recalls the meeting between Farooq Abdullah and his son, Omar Abdullah, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi just days before Article 370 was revoked. “What transpired during the meeting, nobody will ever know. Farooq has certainly never mentioned it,” writes Dulat.
Reflecting on the political developments of 2019, Dulat describes Farooq Abdullah’s house arrest as “the saddest story in Kashmir.” He shares an emotional conversation in which the NC patron questioned his detention.
“When he spoke to me about the abrogation later, he was forthright. ‘Kar lo agar karna hai (do it if you want to),’ he said, somewhat bitterly. ‘Par yeh arrest kyu karna tha? (but why arrest us?)’,” Dulat writes.
The book also contrasts the political styles of father and son. While both Farooq and Omar Abdullah have served as Chief Ministers, Dulat suggests that Farooq has always aimed to align with Delhi, but on his own terms. In contrast, Omar is portrayed as someone who actively tries to please Delhi.
“He (Farooq) always looked for a level playing field and, in the end, did it his way, which Delhi could never comprehend,” writes Dulat. He cites an example from March 2020, after Farooq’s release from detention, when Delhi expected him to meet the Prime Minister. Instead, Farooq delayed the meeting, citing the need for cataract surgeries. He eventually visited Delhi in July 2020.
“That is the difference between Farooq and Omar. When Omar says he wants a good relationship with Delhi, he goes out of his way to please Delhi. Farooq does what he thinks will go down best with his people,” Dulat observes.
The former intelligence chief also recounts an incident from 2014 when he was vacationing in Goa and received a call from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) headquarters in Delhi. They asked if he had Farooq Abdullah’s London phone number.
“I do,” Dulat replied, “but I hardly have it here on the beach! Baat kya hai? Ab aap phone karna chah rahe ho, but it’s too late now. (What’s the matter? If you want to call him now, it’s too late.)”
The response from the IB was vague: “We just wanted to enquire about his health.” To this, Dulat notes, “Well, even there you’re too late.” He describes the moment as another indication of how significant a figure Farooq Abdullah is—and how, despite Delhi’s attempts to sideline him, he remains impossible to ignore.
“He is the face not just of his party but of the Valley in modern India,” writes Dulat.
Reacting to the book’s contents, Sajad Gani Lone, leader of the Peoples Conference, said he was not surprised by the revelations. He pointed out that the Abdullahs had met the Prime Minister on August 4, 2019, just before the abrogation.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Lone stated: “Dulat sahib has revealed in his upcoming book that Farooq Sahib privately supported the abrogation of Article 370. Coming from Dulat sahib makes this revelation very credible. Dulat sahib is the closest ally and friend of Farooq sahib—virtually his alter ego. Incidentally, Dulat sahib is the famed uncle of the infamous Uncles and Aunties Brigade of Delhi.”
Lone added that the NC would likely deny the claim and portray it as yet another conspiracy.
“They have perfected playing the victim card,” he wrote. “Uncles and Aunties will take cognisance of my tweet and other such tweets and implore the BJP to teach such tweeters a lesson. Out here, their MLAs will privately visit LOP Sunil Sharma and tell him they are brothers separated at the Kumbh Mela. That the theatre they enact in and outside the Assembly is in national interest.”
He went on to say, “I personally am not surprised at this revelation. The August 4, 2019, meeting of CM sahib and Farooq sahib with the PM was never a mystery for me. I can visualise Farooq sahib saying — Humey roney deejiye—Aap apna kaam karein—hum aap kay saath hain (Let us cry—You go ahead with your work—we are with you). It now seems 2024 was a prize for services rendered in 2019. Of course, in national interest.”
Meanwhile, Iltija Mufti, leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), also reacted sharply to Dulat’s revelations. She accused Farooq Abdullah of choosing to remain in Kashmir instead of attending Parliament sessions, thereby contributing to the normalization of what she termed the “gutting” of J&K’s constitution.
“Dulat sahab, an ardent Abdullah supporter, has shared how Farooq sahab agreed with Delhi’s illegal move of abrogating Article 370,” she wrote on X. “There were already doubts about what transpired between the Abdullahs and PM in the days before J&K’s special status was revoked. With this, it’s clear that Farooq sahab chose to stay in Kashmir instead of the Parliament to help normalise gutting of J&K’s constitution and subsequent betrayal.”
