'On same page': Pak Defence Minister backs Congress-NC alliance on Article 370 restoration, BJP reacts (WATCH)

In a significant development amid the ongoing Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has remarked that the Shehbaz Sharif government and the Congress-National Conference alliance share a common stance on the issue of restoring Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The statement, made during an interview with Geo News, has sparked debate across political circles in India, as the first elections since the revocation of Article 370 in 2019 is underway.

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Asif’s comments reflect Pakistan’s long-standing position on the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistani leadership has consistently opposed India’s 2019 decision to revoke Article 370, which granted the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir significant autonomy, and has called for its restoration. In his interview, Asif stated that there was a "high chance" that the Congress-National Conference alliance could win the upcoming elections in Jammu and Kashmir, bringing the issue of Article 370 to the forefront of their political agenda.

"They (the alliance) have made it an election issue. Pakistan and the National Conference-Congress alliance are on the same page in Jammu and Kashmir to restore Article 370 and 35A," Asif claimed, underscoring that both Pakistan and the alliance seek the restoration of the region’s autonomy.

Responding to Khawaja's remarks, Union Home Minister Amit Shah took to X to reiterate Congress and Pakistan have the same 'intentions and agenda'. 

"Pakistan's Defence Minister's statement about Congress and JKNC's support on Article 370 and 35A has once again exposed Congress. This statement has once again made it clear that Congress and Pakistan have the same intentions and agenda. For the last few years, Rahul Gandhi has been standing with every anti-India force, hurting the sentiments of the countrymen," Shah wrote in Hindi on X.

"Be it asking for proof of air strikes and surgical strikes or saying objectionable things about the Indian Army, the tune of Rahul Gandhi's Congress Party and Pakistan has always been the same and Congress has always been hand in glove with the anti-national forces. But, Congress Party and Pakistan forget that there is Modi Government at the center, hence neither Article 370 nor terrorism is going to come back in Kashmir," he added.

While Khawaja Asif has explicitly linked the Congress to the National Conference's call for restoring Article 370, the Congress Party has remained cautious on the subject. Unlike the National Conference, led by Farooq Abdullah, which has repeatedly vowed to fight for the return of Article 370, Congress has notably refrained from making any direct promises about its restoration.

Instead, the Congress Party has focused on another key issue: the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. This has been a central promise in its election manifesto, though the party has chosen not to comment extensively on Article 370.

The National Conference, one of the key political players in Jammu and Kashmir, has made the restoration of Article 370 a central tenet of its campaign. The party, along with Mehbooba Mufti's Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been vocal about the need to reverse the 2019 decision, which also saw the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories—Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The revocation of Article 35A, which granted certain privileges to residents of Jammu and Kashmir, has also been a focal point of their opposition.

Asif's remarks has sparked a massive outburst on social media platform X, with one user stating, "Pakistan which has sponsored every single terror attack on this nation including parliament attack, Mumbai attack & numerous others, stands in support of @RahulGandhi and @INCIndia that says a lot on who is benefiting from their agenda."

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"Pakistan supports Congress not only in Jammu and Kashmir but in entire India because Congress's soft policy towards Pakistan suits it. They can carry out blasts and Congress government can remain silent. They want such a government in their neighbourhood," remarked another user.

A third stated, "It’s alarming that Congress aligns with Pakistan’s stance on Article 370 and 35A. For a terrorist-supporting nation to back Congress' position on Kashmir should make us question where their priorities lie. National security must come first, not appeasing Pakistan’s agenda."

Here's a look at some of the other reactions on X: