'No peace since 2019': Rights forum's grim J&K report to Farooq
Former Jammu and Kashmir interlocutor Radha Kumar on Friday said there has been no peace process, or even an attempt to have one, with the people of Jammu and Kashmir or between various countries in South Asia after 2019.
Kumar, co-chairperson of the Forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir, presented its annual report, "Seven Years Under Union Rule -- With a Special Section on Ladakh & Pakistan-held Territories of Jammu and Kashmir (August 2025-July 2026)," to National Conference president Farooq Abdullah here.
Speaking to reporters after meeting the National Conference leadership, Kumar said she "deeply, deeply regrets what happened in 2019 and since then", referring to the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
"There is no peace process or an attempt to have a peace process either with the people of Jammu and Kashmir or at a broader level between the various countries of South Asia. And we all know how much was achieved in the years of the peace process," she said.
Referring to the downgrading of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories, she said it is a "sad situation" to see that the elected government in Jammu and Kashmir has "no powers".
"It is a very sad situation indeed to see how there are no powers with the elected government. Every year, more powers are taken away and given to the lieutenant governor," Kumar said.
Asserting that all the powers are in the hands of an administration that was "nominated, not elected", she said, "Therefore, there is no accountability, and there is no way that the people can demand accountability of such an administration."
Kumar said the forum was formed after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 "because we believed it was important that there should be a group that would constantly report on the violations of human, political and civil rights in Jammu and Kashmir."
"We have tried our very best to make sure that every year we manage to report on what has happened in the year before. Our reports run from August to July, so this latest report is August 2025 to July 2026," she said.
She also pitched for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
"Both the prime minister and the home minister have promised that the statehood will be restored. They promised the Supreme Court that it would be restored, and the Supreme Court said it should be restored at the earliest possible. That was three years ago. Three years have passed. They said that after there is an elected administration, after the elections, we will restore it," Kumar remarked.
The National Conference said Kumar presented the annual report to Farooq Abdullah.
"The Forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir, led by Radha Kumar, Kapil Kak and Sajad Kargili, on Friday presented its annual report ... to Jammu and Kashmir National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah at the party headquarters, Nawa-e-Subha, Srinagar."
The presentation was attended by party general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar, several legislators, in-charges of various parent and youth wings, members of the media, and other party office bearers, it said on X.
