Jammu, Oct 31 (IANS): As the newly-elected Omar Abdullah-led National Conference (NC) government in Jammu and Kashmir promised to boycott the Union Territory (UT) Foundation Day on Thursday, senior party leader Sheikh Bashir Ahmad called it a day of "humiliation" for people of J&K.

At the same time, Bashir Ahmad also extended Diwali greetings to fellow countrymen and hoped that better days would prevail in the Union territory in 2025.

Speaking to IANS, the NC leader said: "First of all, I want to extend my greetings to all the people across the country on the pious occasion of Diwali, and I pray that this festival of happiness brings good times in the coming year. The Union Territory Foundation Day is actually a day of humiliation for the people of Jammu and Kashmir."

Speaking about NC boycotting the UT Foundation Day, Bashir Ahmad added: "On this day, the people of Jammu and Kashmir were humiliated. There's no reason to celebrate it; it's a day for officials and bureaucracy. From this day, the destruction of Jammu and Kashmir began. This day holds no relevance for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. In a democracy, everybody has a right to express their views. The day when J&K became a UT, will be etched in history."

The NC leader further said: "The people have given a mandate to a democratically-elected government, and they should let go of this day. Whether in the opposition or ruling party, everyone should come together to solve the people's issues. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Home Minister Amit Shah have also spoken about statehood, using the term 'appropriate' time, which could mean any moment they deem fit. However, the mandate of the people of Jammu and Kashmir must be respected, and statehood should be restored as soon as possible so that the elected government can function."

The first Assembly session is set to be held on November 4, which will be the first session for the UT, and traditionally, it has been said that this will be a session that will last four to five days with question-answer rounds involving the Assembly members, he added.

"It will be a kind of inaugural function held and no business will take place inside the Assembly. The debate will only be held over the Budget session over which question-answer rounds will be held," the NC leader said.