‘A Spy Loyal Only to Himself’: Farooq Abdullah’s daughter rebuts ex-RAW Chief’s claims on Article 370

Safia Abdullah Khan, daughter of National Conference (NC) president and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, has hit out at former RAW chief A.S. Dulat over his claims that her father quietly backed the abrogation of Article 370, even as he publicly opposed it.

In a sharp post on X (formerly Twitter), Safia accused Dulat of distorting facts in his new book ‘The Chief Minister and the Spy’ and described him as someone whose allegiance was only to himself. “I have never trusted Dulat as far as I could throw him. He was always a spy whose loyalty was only to himself. He never cared who he threw under the bus with his previous books,” she wrote. “I have read this book, and he has played fast and loose with the truth once again,” she added.

‘The Chief Minister and the Spy’ sparks controversy

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Dulat’s book has sparked a political storm in the Valley, particularly over a section where he alleges that Farooq Abdullah privately agreed with the Centre’s move to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370. The claim has added fuel to long-standing speculation about what transpired behind closed doors in the lead-up to the August 2019 decision.

National Conference spokesperson and MLA Tanvir Sadiq dismissed the book’s claims as “baseless and fictional”. “There are more pressing issues to address. This book is just another attempt to rewrite history,” he told reporters.

Farooq Abdullah was a key figure in the formation of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), which sought the restoration of Article 370 and statehood to Jammu and Kashmir after its bifurcation and downgrade to a Union Territory.

J&K Opposition backs Dulat’s claims

Iltija Mufti, daughter of PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, also reacted strongly to the revelations. In a post on X, she wrote, “Dulat sahab, an ardent Abdullah supporter, has shared how Farooq sahab agreed with Delhi’s illegal move of abrogating Article 370. There were already doubts about what transpired between the Abdullahs and PM days before J&K’s special status was revoked.”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 the gutting of J&K’s constitution and subsequent betrayal,” she added.