The National Conference (NC) on Tuesday said its future course of action would be taken only after party patron and MP Farooq Abdullah and party vice president Omar Abdullah were released by the Jammu and Kashmir administration. The Abdullahs, along with a host of other political leaders, have been detained since August 5 when the central government announced its decisions to abrogate Jammu and Kashmir”s special status under Article 370 of the Constitution and divide the state into two union territories. In a brief statement, the party said no leader has been authorised to speak on its behalf. “The National Conference has not authorised any individual leader to speak on behalf of the party. The leaders giving statements are doing so only in their individual capacity. As the party has said earlier, the NC will discuss the road ahead once all party leaders under detention are released, including president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah,” it said. The statement came after media reports quoted NC leader Mustafa Kamal saying that the party would not take part in any political process until the statehood and Article 370 were restored in Jammu and Kashmir. Farooq Abdullah, a former chief minister, has been detained at his house under the stringent Public Safety Act from September 17 after remaining under preventive custody from August 5. His son Omar Abdullah, also a former chief minister, has been under preventive custody at a government house since August 5.
