Srinagar, Sep 22: National Conference (NC) members on Tuesday demanded restoration of the public holiday on the birth anniversary of party founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.

Raising the issue in the House, NC members said Sheikh Abdullah’s contribution to shaping modern Jammu and Kashmir could not be ignored.

The members highlighted reforms associated with his tenure, including the Land to Tiller programme, free education up to university level and measures aimed at women’s empowerment, saying these contributed to the development of Jammu and Kashmir.

They said the holidays marking July 13 as Martyrs’ Day and December 5 as the birth anniversary of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah were removed from the official holiday calendar after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

Participating in the discussion, senior NC leader and Eidgah MLA Mubarak Gul said the party had remained in power for several years but had not altered holidays or important commemorative days.

“We remained in power for decades, but we never removed any holiday. We never played with history. If BJP or any other party’s leader had a holiday, we never removed it. Holidays represent collective memory,” Gul said.

He said restoring the December 5 holiday would serve as a tribute to Sheikh Abdullah’s contribution to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.