Srinagar: The National Confrence (NC) on Friday alleged that attempts are being made to ruin party’s July 20 protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to push its demand to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah claimed that the party is facing unexplained delays in securing official permission for the protest, suggesting that rival political parties had deliberately scheduled overlapping programmes at the same venue.“We have been trying to get permission for the last four to five days. Others managed to get permission within 24 hours, but we are still waiting,” Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of the unveiling of the Kashmir Marathon 2026 merchandise in Srinagar.Without naming anyone directly, Abdullah alleged that “some people are trying to sabotage our programme. They changed their dates and overlapped them with ours”.The protest has been scheduled on the opening day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session where the National Conference aims to amplify demands for Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, an assurance repeatedly made by the Union government before Parliament and the Supreme Court.While raising concerns over the alleged attempts to derail the programme, Abdullah avoided elaborating on the party’s political strategy.Despite the uncertainty over permission, the National Conference has launched an extensive outreach campaign to transform the July 20 protest into a more expansive constitutional movement rather than a purely party event by inviting 52 regional and national parties to attend the protest.Regional political parties, civil society organisations, trade associations, religious leaders and public representatives from across the country have been invited –including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP).National Conference president Farooq Abdullah wrote to several senior leaders of the INDIA bloc, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, M.K. Stalin, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Sharad Pawar, seeking their support for the statehood campaign.According to him, support for Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood found unanimous backing among civil society groups.National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on June 10, 2026. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that he would fulfil his promise of statehood, Farooq Abdullah said. Photo: PTISpeaking to The Wire, party spokesperson Tahir Saeed said invitations have been sent to a wide spectrum of stakeholders within Jammu and Kashmir, including the chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, political parties across ideological lines, former legislators and representatives of trade bodies.He said the initiative was not intended to serve partisan interests but to build a united platform around what the party considers a shared democratic aspiration of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.“The decision to invite more than fifty national and regional political parties, along with prominent political leaders, to participate in the protest at Jantar Mantar is significant and far-sighted. It is not merely a protest but the beginning of a democratic movement aimed at the restoration of the constitutional rights, dignity and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Saeed told The Wire.Also read: On J&K Statehood, Ex-Civil Servants, Military Officers Write Open Letter to CJI B.R. Gavai“All political parties in Jammu and Kashmir should rise above political differences and stand united in the larger interest. This is a moment to place the interests of the people above partisan politics. When it comes to the rights, identity and future of Jammu and Kashmir, we must demonstrate that we are one, united in our commitment to safeguarding the constitutional rights and democratic aspirations of our people,” he added.The outreach follows a recent three-hour consultation attended by nearly 170 participants called by National Conference chief, including religious scholars, traders, educationists, retired bureaucrats and tourism stakeholders. The meeting unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Union government to restore statehood without further delay and pledged support for the July 20 demonstration.Mirwaiz backs campaign, seeks restoration of constitutional safeguardsAddressing the Friday congregation at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq confirmed that he had received the invitation from Farooq Abdullah to join the July 20 protest.“As such, any effort by any political alliance, organisation or individual working for the restoration of the usurped rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is the need of the hour,” he said.At the same time, Mirwaiz maintained that the campaign should not remain confined to statehood alone.He said the protest must also seek the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A, along with all constitutional safeguards, protections and rights that were taken away from the people of the erstwhile state. He also demanded that issues like the release of “Kashmiri political prisoners locked in different jails” across the country, and also for seeking peaceful “political resolution of Kashmir issue” should have been included in the list of demands.PDP, Apni Party, yet to decideThe People’s Democratic Party confirmed that it had received an invitation to participate in the protest but said it would decide only after internal consultations.Party spokesperson Mohit Bhan said the invitation had been addressed to party president Mehbooba Mufti. “A letter has come in the name of party president Mehbooba Mufti today. This is a complicated issue which needs to be thought over very carefully before taking a decision,” he said.Bhan said the party’s political affairs committee, core committee and senior leadership would deliberate on the issue.He said the party’s principal political struggle remained the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A.Meanwhile, Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari argued that the demand for statehood should not become a reason for slowing development. “Roads, hospitals and public infrastructure are suffering while contractors remain unpaid. The government must stop making excuses, restart development works and issue a white paper on lapsed funds. Statehood has nothing to do with development being stopped,” he said.Former legislator and senior Apni Party leader Mohammad Ashraf Mir strongly criticised the National Conference over its proposed sit-in protest in Delhi, calling it a political gimmick.He said the ruling party had sought votes by claiming it would ensure the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A. He added that the party had also maintained that the restoration would happen automatically. However, he alleged that the National Conference had now backtracked on its earlier position and shifted its focus entirely to the restoration issue while remaining silent on Articles 370 and 35A.Also read: Ladakh and the Autonomy ConundrumOn the invitation for joining the proposed protest on July 20 in Delhi, Mir said, “This invitation appears to be a mere formality. Had they been genuinely serious about their demand, they would have accepted the Apni Party’s suggestion to unite, sit together with all stakeholders, identify and prioritise key issues and concerns, prepare a common roadmap and present a unanimous position before the government of India.“That is the most effective way to put forward demands and achieve meaningful results. They refused to do this. Instead, they have chosen to invite only a select few while leaving out many important stakeholders. Such an approach undermines the very spirit of consensus and collective representation.”He said the party had “not yet decided” whether to participate in the sit-in protest.BJP stays awayThe BJP has ruled out participating in the proposed protest. Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma accused the National Conference government of using the rally to divert attention from “governance failures”.“Instead of answering questions on unemployment, corruption and unfulfilled promises, the government has chosen to stage a drama,” Sharma said, adding, “Whatever happened to the signature campaign for restoration of statehood that the chief minister had promised last year?” he asked.Junaid Dar is an independent journalist.