New Delhi

Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has stated that Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif government and the Congress-National Conference alliance in India are aligned on the issue of restoring Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir.

Asif suggested that there is a "high chance" of the Congress-National Conference alliance winning the ongoing Assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir, potentially allowing them to come to power in the Union Territory.

His remarks were made during an interview with Geo News amid the Assembly elections in J&K, the first to be held since the revocation of Article 370 in 2019 and after a decade.

Asif's comments were directed at the alliance's stance on Article 370, which they have made a central issue in these elections.

He stated that both Pakistan and the alliance are in favour of restoring the special status of J&K.

"They have made it an election issue. Pakistan and the Congress-National Conference alliance are on the same page in Jammu & Kashmir to restore Article 370," he said.

The removal of Article 370 in August 2019 by the government led to the bifurcation of the former state into two Union Territories — Jammu & Kashmir (with an Assembly) and Ladakh (without one).

Back then, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that the statehood of Jammu & Kashmir would be stored at an "appropriate time."

Addressing a rally in J&K's Doda ahead of the Assembly elections, the Union Home Minister reiterated the government's commitment to restoring statehood to Jammu & Kashmir after the elections.

Meanwhile, the National Conference has consistently pledged to restore Article 370, while Congress, although silent on Article 370, has promised full statehood to Jammu & Kashmir in its manifesto.

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Article 370 has been an emotive issue for the people of the Union Territory and has been consistently featured in the manifestos of the Valley-based National Conference and People's Democratic Party as well.