Opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir have come out all guns blazing against former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah after former Raw chief AS Dulat claimed in his book that the National Conference president told him that he could have "helped" pass the proposal to abrogate Article 370 in the Assembly if the Centre had taken him into confidence.
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00:00political storm rages in kashmir over former raw chief's book
00:08as dhulat writes dr faruq abdullah was open to article 370 purge an angry faruq hits back
00:20at dhulat faruq abdullah sahab ne dee pahle din se p.a.g.d. or yahaan ke jomu kashmir
00:27the opposition comes out all guns blazing against dr faruq abdullah
00:40do let clarifies the book actually praises
00:57has the spy put the chief minister in the dock that's our top focus on india first
01:16would dr faruq abdullah former chief minister of the erstwhile state of jammu and kashmir
01:24actually have helped the narendra modi government abrogate article 370 had he been taken into
01:32confidence and not locked up a paragraph in amarjeet singh dhulat former research and analysis chief
01:40former raw chief's book the chief minister and the spy has stirred up on its nest in kashmir the pdp and
01:48other opposition parties have come out all guns blazing targeting dr faruq abdullah chief minister
01:54omar abdullah and the ruling national conference dr faruq abdullah has distanced himself from this
02:00book saying at least no friend of his could have written this as dhulat former raw chief and author
02:06joins me on india first sir welcome we'll come to you in just a moment i'm gaurab savant as
02:14always let's get started with the headlines on india first
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03:51illegally occupied territories in jammu and kashmir
03:55article 370 is a very sensitive issue in kashmir and as dhulat in his book recalls a conversation
04:09with dr faruq abdullah in 2020 about the abrogation of article 370 he writes about dr faruq abdullah's
04:18willingness to work with delhi maybe he writes the national conference could even have had the
04:26proposal passed in the legislative assembly of jammu and kashmir we would have helped he quotes dr
04:34abdullah's saying and there is massive furor in kashmir with opposition parties including the pdp
04:40coming out all guns blazing against dr faruq abdullah against chief minister omar abdullah
04:45and the national conference the abdullahs of course have distanced themselves from this book
04:49calling the passage of figment of mr dhulat's imagination we get you more in this report
04:56former raw chief as dhulat in his new book the chief minister and the spy has made some startling claims
05:06dhulat says that former jammu and kashmir chief minister faruq abdullah privately
05:11backed the abrogation of article 370 a move he had called a betrayal in public the former spy chief
05:20goes a step further writing that the national conference might have even supported the move
05:25in parliament had the center taken it into confidence dhulat's claim have sparked a political
05:31firestorm in jammu and kashmir the opposition questioned the national conference in their stand
05:36labeling abdullah and his party as hypocrites
05:43the national conference is pushing back hard accusing dhulat of peddling fiction
06:12and in a twist in the tale dhulat has come out to clear the air
06:36dhulat's book has reignited kashmir's most sensitive political debate and the storm
06:57it seems is just getting bigger bureau report india today
07:01and the chief minister of jammu and kashmir omar abdullah has hit out at the pdp chief
07:14mehbubha mufti on her criticism uh and of course uh at as dhulat for targeting his father faruq abdullah
07:21now umar abdullah said and i quote if mehbubha ji considers everything written by dhulat sahib
07:27to be true then should we also consider what he wrote about her father in his first book to be true
07:33if we consider it the truth then she should answer the question of how she will make the people believe
07:40it then he goes on to write to sell his book it is dhulat sahib's habit not to go with the truth
07:48in his first book he did not spare anyone and in this book he did not leave any stone unturned
07:55to humiliate faruq sahib it is said when you have friends like this there is no need for enemies
08:03finally faruq sahib has found out the truth about dhulat sahib unquote
08:09dhulat sahib ki aadat hai woh kitaab bĂȘchane ke liye sach ka sath nahi deyte hai
08:20pahli kitaab mein bhi unhunne kisi ko nahi baksha is kitaab mein bhi faruq sahib ko
08:29niche
08:59So the national conference is trying to distance itself.
09:20So is Omar Abdullah, the chief minister.
09:23Farouk Shah, we are told, is very upset with this book
09:26and has been quoted saying,
09:27no friend of mine could have written this.
09:31Amarjeet Singh, Dulat, former Raw chief,
09:34joins me on this India First special broadcast.
09:36Sir, many thanks for joining me.
09:38What do you make of this controversy over that one paragraph
09:42on page number 208 of your book?
09:45Because, you know, Mr. M.K. Narayanan,
09:48the former national security advisor,
09:50he has spoken of your very fond attachment.
09:55He's spoken of your emotional attachment,
09:57not just to Kashmir, but also to Dr. Farouk Abdullah.
10:00And you've also mentioned the close association and relationship you've had.
10:04What do you make of Dr. Farouk Abdullah being so upset today
10:07when you recall that conversation of 2020?
10:13You know, what can I say?
10:15I don't think Dr. Sam has read the book.
10:17You see, Mr. Narayanan has read the book.
10:24Mr. Narayanan knows what Kashmir is all about.
10:27He knows what Farouk is all about.
10:29And that is why he's written what he's written.
10:32You've read the foreword.
10:34Yes.
10:34It's very complimentary to Dr. Sam.
10:39Then what is the problem?
10:41You read the whole book from start to finish.
10:45It's only in praise of Dr. Farouk.
10:47So what's the problem?
10:49Okay.
10:49So, the politics of the problem, if I may,
10:54I want to quote you.
10:56You wrote and I quote,
10:58Farouk was terribly hurt.
11:00Just as the BJP has never hidden its intention towards Kashmir
11:04as far as 370 was concerned,
11:06so too had Farouk been extremely open about his willingness
11:10to work with Delhi.
11:13Maybe he said,
11:14you've quoted him saying,
11:15maybe he said,
11:17National Conference could even have had the proposal passed
11:19in the Assembly.
11:20We could have helped.
11:21He told me when I met him in 2020,
11:24why were we not taken in confidence?
11:27Sir, was Farouk Abdullah willing to take Article 370
11:30through the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly?
11:33Is that what he told you?
11:35I don't think Dr. Sam has read the book.
11:39You know,
11:41what am I to say about the book?
11:44You know,
11:45it was written,
11:46it is written,
11:48I would say,
11:49you know,
11:51Narayananam Sahib talks about
11:53my emotional attachment.
11:57Yes.
11:58This book has been written in that attachment,
12:01with that attachment.
12:03Believe you me.
12:05It's written with a lot of intensity,
12:07with a lot of passion.
12:10Read it.
12:11And if you say I'm lying,
12:13then I'm a liar.
12:15Okay.
12:16That is what,
12:17both Farouk Abdullah and you just heard,
12:20you know,
12:20Umar Abdullah,
12:21Chief Minister Jammu and Kashmir,
12:23you know,
12:24what he said,
12:25that,
12:26he,
12:27that you have,
12:27you've been economical with the truth of words to that effect.
12:30Sach ka saath nahi deyte,
12:32pehli kitab mein bhi,
12:33aur abhi bhi nahi.
12:34But Farouk Abdullah has also been quoted saying that your,
12:37that your recollection is unfortunate.
12:39He says,
12:40no friend of mine could have,
12:42could have written this.
12:43And,
12:44and this would seem to indicate that the fallout has really upset him,
12:48sir.
12:49What you've written has upset him.
12:51There is no follow up.
12:53Dr.
12:54Sahab,
12:54as I say,
12:55has not read the book.
12:56You know,
12:58you know,
12:59let me remind you,
13:00I don't have the book with me,
13:02but I don't,
13:03I don't forget that easily.
13:05You know how this book ends?
13:07Yes.
13:08Have you read the end?
13:09Have you read the end?
13:09This will remain.
13:11Yes,
13:11sir,
13:11that he's no ordinary leader of Kashmir.
13:13I think it's the second last para that we all have to go.
13:17Yes.
13:18Okay.
13:18Are you listening to me?
13:19Yes,
13:20sir.
13:21Yeah.
13:22Yes,
13:22sir.
13:22We all have to go.
13:24And in course of time,
13:26memory also fades.
13:29What remains is greatness.
13:31And Faruk will never be forgotten.
13:35Yes.
13:36Is this criticism of the man?
13:38And the last sentence of the book is...
13:43Singer of Kashmir.
13:45Yes.
13:45That the song of Kashmir,
13:48Delhi will always need Faruk.
13:51Yes.
13:51Because the song of Kashmir will not be complete
13:53without the singer.
13:55Is this criticism of the man?
13:57Am I letting him down?
14:00Am I saying anything wrong?
14:03No.
14:04So,
14:04yeah,
14:06you've praised him throughout.
14:07There is no doubt about that.
14:10But you've also,
14:12in one of the paragraphs,
14:14you've called him a contradiction.
14:16You write,
14:17and if I may quote,
14:18Faruk is a contradiction in himself.
14:21To my mind,
14:22this remark in 2020
14:23just highlighted his great practicality
14:27under the most appalling political and popular pressure.
14:32Sir,
14:32you are paying him a compliment,
14:34but what do you make of the backlash
14:36that he's facing in Kashmir today?
14:39The opposition in Kashmir
14:41is targeting him
14:43for being too close to Delhi
14:45before abrogation of Article 370,
14:48or perhaps,
14:48you know,
14:48words to that effect,
14:49sir?
14:49This is all politics.
14:56And it's very unfortunate.
15:00I think my publishers made a mistake
15:03letting out this book
15:06before the launch,
15:07you know.
15:09Because somebody's picked up some...
15:11If you've read that pair on page 208,
15:15there's nothing in it.
15:17What does it say?
15:18I'll remind you again.
15:22I know the pair.
15:24Because I know the book.
15:25I've written the book.
15:27It hasn't been written by somebody else.
15:29I've written the book.
15:30And that pair says
15:32that when I met Faruk
15:34on the 12th of February 2020,
15:38he was a broken man.
15:39He was heartbroken.
15:41He couldn't believe
15:42that India and Delhi
15:44that he's always stood by
15:45had locked him up.
15:47He couldn't believe it.
15:48And along with him,
15:52I was also very depressed
15:53to see him in that condition.
15:56And then he said,
15:58maybe I should have left
15:59the book at that.
16:01But then he said,
16:03I don't know why
16:05this has happened to us.
16:07Do you know,
16:08not only he was locked up,
16:09Omar was locked up.
16:10Yes.
16:11And Safiya and Faruk's sister,
16:16Suraya,
16:16were also taken to the lockup.
16:19So the family had to suffer
16:21quite a lot.
16:21So in those circumstances,
16:27Faruk said to me,
16:29that why did this have to happen?
16:31And if it had to happen,
16:36which the sentence conveys,
16:40that this has always been
16:42the BJP's agenda,
16:44then why could we not have been
16:47taken into confidence?
16:48Into confidence.
16:49Sir,
16:50since you mentioned,
16:51you know,
16:52Safiya and your conversation
16:54with his daughter,
16:56she's also extremely upset
16:58with what you've written.
17:00And she's taken to social media
17:02platform to express
17:04her unhappiness.
17:05You know,
17:06with your permission,
17:07I want to quote what she wrote.
17:09She said,
17:10he was referring to you,
17:12he was always a spy
17:14whose loyalty
17:14was only to himself.
17:17He never cared
17:18who he threw under the bus
17:20with his previous books.
17:21I've read this book
17:22and he's played fast
17:25and lose
17:26with the truth once again, sir.
17:31That is Safiya saying it.
17:32I accept it.
17:34I accept it.
17:35Safiya is like my daughter.
17:38You know,
17:38my daughter and Safiya
17:39were in school together.
17:41Yes, Sanar.
17:42Sanar, yeah.
17:43They may not be friends,
17:45but for me,
17:46Safiya is like my daughter.
17:48So if she said it,
17:49fine, okay.
17:51So be it.
17:53It is for her
17:54to think about these things.
17:58Whatever I said
17:59about Safiya in the book.
18:02You know what happened?
18:03I don't know
18:05whether I had seen the book or not.
18:07What happened was
18:08that Dr. Sao was so
18:13heartbroken,
18:15he was not in a mood
18:16to talk.
18:17And I spent two hours
18:19with him that day.
18:21And at the end,
18:21I said,
18:22sir,
18:22can I speak to Safiya?
18:27And I spoke to Safiya for half a long.
18:31And that also was very depressing.
18:33The outcome of that conversation
18:37that you had over two hours
18:39with Dr. Farouk Abdullah,
18:40what you've mentioned in your book,
18:42while you've been very appreciative
18:44about Dr. Abdullah,
18:45calling him one of the tallest leaders
18:47of not just Kashmir,
18:48but the country,
18:49there's one reference
18:50where you've said,
18:50like Charles de Gaulle,
18:52and how Delhi,
18:54you know,
18:54or was that Mr. M.K. Narayanan
18:56who wrote that he ensured
18:57that Kashmir did not drift away.
18:59But the fallout,
19:03the fallout that he's had,
19:05you've mentioned that,
19:06you know,
19:07he's played a very critical role
19:09in Jammu and Kashmir.
19:11But the impact of this book,
19:13has it been just the opposite
19:14for him, sir?
19:17Not at all.
19:19Not at all.
19:20It's never hurt him.
19:21He's a big man.
19:23These things don't hurt him.
19:25These things don't hurt him.
19:27And tomorrow or day after,
19:29when he sits and thinks
19:30about these things,
19:31he will understand.
19:32He'll realize.
19:33If he has time to read the book,
19:36then he'll understand it better.
19:40You know something very funny,
19:41I'll tell you, Gaurav.
19:44I don't know whether it's Safiya
19:46or somebody.
19:46Somebody has objected
19:48to my reference to 1996,
19:52you know,
19:53when Dr. Saab came back
19:54as chief minister.
19:56Yes.
19:56It was a huge occasion.
19:59And it was a huge occasion
20:01for Delhi
20:02and personally for me
20:05it was a huge occasion.
20:07He said,
20:08you have to come
20:09for my swearing in.
20:11Not only I went,
20:12I took the DIB along
20:14and I took the present,
20:16this current NSAID,
20:17Ajit Doval,
20:18my friend,
20:19also along.
20:20And three of us
20:22stood and gave
20:23Dr. Farooq
20:24a standing ovation
20:25when he was sworn in.
20:27No, the funny thing here
20:31is, Gaurav,
20:32that somebody is saying
20:34and talking about 1996
20:36that I am trying to talk rubbish.
20:40But the same thing
20:41I mentioned in my first book.
20:43In your first book, yes.
20:44There was no objection to it then.
20:46Because Safiya
20:51didn't read that book.
20:53Sir,
20:55both the Chief Minister
20:57and the spy
20:58have invested
20:59in this relationship
21:00for decades.
21:02You've at times,
21:04in fact,
21:04in the past
21:05been criticized
21:05for being too close
21:07to Dr. Farooq Abdullah.
21:10But
21:10when you look at this fallout,
21:13is that
21:13a thing of the past?
21:16Dosti mein darar
21:18as some would argue
21:19or, you know,
21:20will there be
21:21a distance
21:22between the two of you now?
21:26Not from my side.
21:29And you'll never hear me say
21:30a bad word
21:32about Dr. Saf.
21:33Never.
21:34It won't happen
21:35in this lifetime.
21:37He can say what he likes.
21:39And his fact,
21:40and Safiya
21:41can say what she likes.
21:43And if Omar Saab
21:44wants to say
21:45what he wants to say,
21:46they can say
21:46what they like.
21:48Okay.
21:48And when you look
21:49at the current situation
21:50in Jammu and Kashmir
21:51and you compare it,
21:52not just to
21:53what happened in 1990,
21:55but over the years
21:57when Farooq Saab
21:58came back,
21:59was sworn in
22:00as Chief Minister
22:01in 1996,
22:02or through the years
22:03when you were
22:04in Intelligence Bureau,
22:05then when you were
22:05with RAW,
22:06or when you were
22:07in Vajpayee's PMO,
22:09you've seen Kashmir
22:10over decades
22:11and really closely.
22:13You know,
22:13you're an expert
22:14on Kashmir.
22:15What do you make
22:16of the situation now
22:17and how does
22:18one consolidate
22:19further beyond
22:21Article 370?
22:22How does one
22:23consolidate
22:23the situation?
22:27Look,
22:27Kashmir has had
22:28his ups and downs,
22:30you know.
22:31And even today,
22:33it's not very settled
22:34if you ask me.
22:35Because what
22:36Kashmir desperately needs
22:38or what
22:39Omar Abdullah
22:39desperately needs
22:40is statehood.
22:41and Delhi
22:44will extract
22:45its pound of flesh
22:46before they
22:47concede statehood.
22:50Okay.
22:50There is some
22:51conversation,
22:52some in the
22:54opposition in Kashmir
22:55and there are
22:56some voices
22:57that still advocate
22:58a conversation
23:00with Pakistan.
23:01But you may
23:02have heard
23:03what
23:03General Asim Muneev
23:05said.
23:06I mean,
23:06he was once again
23:06peddling
23:07the two-nation
23:08theory.
23:09How can we
23:10talk to Pakistan
23:11or how can we
23:12expect peace
23:13with Pakistan
23:13when all Pakistan
23:15does is either
23:16spread terror
23:16or fuel unrest
23:18in our country,
23:18sir?
23:22I didn't hear it
23:23but I heard
23:24about it.
23:26And the
23:27Asif Muneev
23:28will keep saying
23:29this unless
23:30we talk to
23:32Pakistan,
23:32unless we engage
23:33with Pakistan.
23:34And there is no
23:35reason not to
23:36talk to Pakistan
23:37in my view.
23:38like he says
23:40that we are
23:41two people.
23:43Let me
23:44contradict him
23:46and say
23:46that we are
23:46one people.
23:48If South Asia
23:50is to move
23:51forward,
23:52then we must
23:53understand
23:53that we are
23:54one people.
23:54sir, we may
23:57consider ourselves
23:58one people
23:59but they
24:01don't.
24:02They want to
24:05bleed us,
24:06they want to
24:07split us,
24:08they want to
24:08hurt us.
24:09And each time
24:10dosti is tried,
24:12you know,
24:13they've stabbed us
24:13in the back,
24:14whether it was
24:15Kargil after
24:16Lahore,
24:17and you know
24:18that entire
24:19process so well,
24:20or it was,
24:22you know,
24:23Prime Minister
24:23Narendra Modi
24:25going to Pakistan
24:26in 2015
24:27and then again
24:28them stabbing us
24:28in the back.
24:29In spite of that,
24:55Atal ji went to
24:57Islamabad
24:57for the Saag summit. How come? Why come? Tell me. He went because of his confidence and
25:09because of his belief that I heard over a period of five and a half years that I worked
25:16with him. That this permanent confrontation with Pakistan has to end.
25:28But then it takes two to tango and Pakistan clearly has been extremely hostile as you know
25:34better. But then we leave that for another day for joining me here on India First. Mr.
25:42Dulat, as always, many thanks.
25:54So India wants peace, but now even Bangladesh is meddling in India's internal affairs. Bangladesh
26:00is talking about the situation in Bengal. The spokesperson for Mohammed Yunus, the interim
26:08advisor to Bangladesh government, is poking India about West Bengal violence. Now, Mamata
26:15Banerjee has actually blamed Bangladesh as have others about Bangladeshis infiltrating into
26:20India and creating riots. But Bangladesh is saying protect minority Muslims in India. Incidentally,
26:27Bangladesh, I know they may not have facts and they may choose to ignore facts, but there
26:32are two Hindus who were killed by radical Islamists. At least that's the information in public
26:38domain. As of now, Hargobind Das, 72 years old, and Chandan Das, his son, 40 years old,
26:44they were dragged out of their houses, hacked, hacked to death, beaten to death, lynched.
26:52And what's the narrative that spread by this ecosystem, you know, in so many parts of this
26:57region that protect minorities? It's actually Hindus there who needed protection. Of course,
27:02one more person has been killed apparently in police firing or some firing, a matter of investigation,
27:08but we'll track that story very closely. That is all I have for you on India First this evening.
27:12Many thanks for watching.