Yeh Badmaashi Hai – A.S. Dulat reacts to news reports about Farooq Abdullah in his book “Chief Minister and the Spy”

Ziraat Times Team Report

Srinagar: A major political storm broke out on Wednesday after a Hindustan Times report claimed that former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah had privately supported the abrogation of Article 370, citing revelations from former RAW chief A.S. Dulat’s latest book “The Chief Minister and the Spy.”

Reacting strongly to the report, Dulat dismissed the claim as a “misrepresentation” of his writings. Speaking to a  Srinagar-based media outlet over the phone, he said: “Yeh badmaashi hai”—condemning the interpretation of his account as dishonest and misleading.

Dulat clarified that Farooq Abdullah never expressed support for the scrapping of Article 370. “What Dr. Abdullah actually said was that he was deeply hurt by the abrogation and felt that the leadership in Jammu and Kashmir should have been consulted before such a monumental decision was made,” he explained.

The controversy has triggered sharp reactions in Kashmir’s political circles, with several parties accusing national media of attempting to distort facts and stoke tensions.

Dulat’s new book, which reflects on his years of close engagement with Kashmir’s top leadership and the intelligence establishment, has already generated significant buzz. However, Wednesday’s row has added a new and unexpected layer of political drama to its release.