“Mubarak Gul Had Foreseen August 5 Move”: Omar Abdullah Recalls Pre-Abrogation MeetingFormer CM says NC leader accurately predicted scrapping of Article 370, 35-A and division of J&K into Union Territories

“Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday made a striking revelation in the Assembly, recalling a crucial meeting of National Conference (NC) leaders held on August 4, 2019, just a day before the historic changes in the region’s constitutional status.
Speaking during a discussion, Abdullah said that as uncertainty loomed over Jammu and Kashmir ahead of August 5, 2019, senior party leaders had gathered in Srinagar to assess the possible course of action by the Government of India. Among them, he highlighted veteran NC leader Mubarak Gul, who, according to him, had made a bold and precise prediction.
“Omar Abdullah said that while most leaders were speculating about possible outcomes, Mubarak Gul was the only one who thumped the table and asserted that the Modi government would not only abrogate Articles 370 and 35-A but would also bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir and convert it into a Union Territory,” he stated in the House.
Abdullah admitted that at the time, he had dismissed Gul’s assertion with laughter, considering it too extreme to materialize. “I laughed at what he said, but what unfolded the very next day was exactly what Mubarak Gul had predicted,” he added.
On August 5, 2019, the Government of India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by effectively nullifying Article 370 and Article 35A, and subsequently reorganized the state into two Union Territories—Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The move marked a turning point in the political and constitutional landscape of the region.
The Chief Minister’s remarks in the Assembly brought back memories of the tense and uncertain atmosphere that prevailed in the Valley on the eve of the decision, shedding light on internal discussions within political circles at that time.
His statement also underscored how some leaders had anticipated the scale of the Centre’s move, even as many others found it difficult to believe such sweeping changes were imminent.
The revelation sparked reactions across political benches, with members reflecting on the dramatic developments that reshaped Jammu and Kashmir’s governance structure and its relationship with the Union of India.