Veteran politician Ghulam Nabi Azad has issued a clarification regarding his earlier comments implicating former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah in purported late-night meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Azad, who initially suggested that the Abdullahs sought clandestine meetings under the cloak of darkness to evade opposition scrutiny, has now retracted his statements, attributing them to information from unspecified sources.

Azad’s initial remarks, made in an exclusive interview with India Today, sparked controversy as he accused the Abdullahs of engaging in duplicity by expressing contradictory stances in different locales. He also alleged an undisclosed meeting between the Abdullahs and PM Modi just before the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019, implying foreknowledge of the decision.

In response, Farooq Abdullah swiftly refuted Azad’s claims, vehemently denying any clandestine meetings and asserting his willingness to meet with the prime minister or home minister during regular hours. He challenged Azad to disclose the identities of his alleged informants, casting doubt on the veracity of the accusations.