Claim
Farooq Abdullah, who (the anchor claims) sought China's help on Article 370, is among the 61 Indian signatories.
“इन 61 नामों में अनुच्छेद 370 पर चीन से मदद मांगने वाले फारूक अब्दुल्ला हैं”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
The verifiable core of the claim is accurate: Farooq Abdullah was indeed one of the 61 Indian signatories to the July 2026 India-Pakistan open letter (117 signatories total, 61 Indian and 56 Pakistani). However, the anchor's embedded characterization that Abdullah 'sought China's help on Article 370' is a contested framing of his October 2020 India Today interview. Abdullah said the abrogation had angered people and expressed hope Article 370 would be restored, with a reference to China not accepting the abrogation; the 'restored with China's help / sought China's help' formulation originated with BJP spokespersons, and Abdullah and the National Conference explicitly denied he ever sought Chinese help. Presenting that disputed characterization as established fact makes the overall statement misleading even though the signatory fact is correct.
Evidence
- https://www.thehansindia.com/news/national/an-open-letter-from-117-eminent-india-pak-citizens-to-modi-sharif-1092663 Confirms the July 2026 open letter to PM Modi and PM Sharif had 117 signatories — 61 from India and 56 from Pakistan — and that National Conference president Farooq Abdullah was among the Indian signatories. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://organiser.org/2026/07/02/360695/world/india-pak-reconciliation-appeal-in-an-open-letter-by-a-section-of-indians-draws-fire-amid-cross-border-terror-concerns/ Coverage dated 2026-07-02 (the broadcast date) of the Centre for Peace and Progress appeal, listing Farooq Abdullah among the 61 Indian signatories. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://scroll.in/latest/975643/farooq-abdullah-never-said-article-370-may-be-restored-with-chinese-help-says-national-conference National Conference's clarification that Farooq Abdullah never said Article 370 would be restored with China's help, calling the BJP characterization a distortion of his October 2020 India Today interview remarks. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.india.com/news/india/article-370-will-be-restored-with-chinas-help-farooq-abdullah-never-said-it-clarifies-national-conference-amid-protest-in-jammu-4171879/ Details the original controversy: in the interview Abdullah linked the Article 370 abrogation to India-China tensions and expressed hope for restoration; the 'sought China's help' framing came from BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra and was denied by Abdullah's party. ✗ unreachable · HTTP 403