Farooq Abdullah’s Dual Stance on Article 370 Revocation Revealed in A.S. Dulat’s New Book

New Delhi  April 16 -CNS : - In a startling revelation, A.S. Dulat, former chief of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), has exposed the contrasting public and private reactions of veteran Kashmiri leader Farooq Abdullah to the 2019 abrogation of Article 370. In his latest book, The Chief Minister and the Spy, Dulat recounts how Abdullah publicly denounced the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status as a “betrayal,” but privately conveyed a more nuanced, even cooperative tone in conversations with Delhi.

Dulat, who has long been engaged with Kashmir affairs, paints a complex picture of political maneuvering and perceived betrayals that surrounded the move. The book suggests that while Abdullah’s party, the National Conference, maintained a defiant posture in public, behind closed doors, the veteran leader sought to keep lines of communication open with the central government.

The revelations have sparked renewed debate over the political calculations and backroom diplomacy that shaped one of the most controversial decisions in modern Indian political history.