The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a sharp attack on the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance on Thursday after Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif supported the alliance’s stance on restoring Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The controversy erupted following Asif’s remarks in an interview with Geo News, where he claimed that both Pakistan and the Congress-National Conference alliance were on the “same page” regarding the reinstatement of the erstwhile state’s special status.

Asif commented that the Congress-NC alliance, which is contesting in the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, stands a “high chance” of winning the polls and coming to power in the Union Territory. His remarks came amidst the ongoing electoral campaign, with the results set to be announced on October 8, marking the first polls since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

The Pakistani Defence Minister’s endorsement sparked an immediate backlash from the BJP, which accused the Congress and National Conference of aligning with Pakistan. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla lashed out, stating that the alliance’s opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi had driven them to side with Pakistan. “Today the cat is out of the bag for Modi Virodh, they can even stand with Pakistan,” Poonawalla posted on X (formerly Twitter).

The controversy stems from the 2019 decision by the Indian government to nullify Article 370, which granted special autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir. The move also resulted in the bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories—Jammu and Kashmir, with an Assembly, and Ladakh, without one.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during a recent rally in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda region, reiterated the government’s commitment to restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir after the conclusion of the elections, reaffirming the government’s stance.