SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah on Saturday described the events of August 9, 1953, including the arrest and ouster of then Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, as a “black day” in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, and called upon the Union Government to open a new chapter in its relationship with the region. Reflecting on the events of August 9, 1953, Farooq said the arrest of Sheikh Abdullah marked the beginning of what he described as a prolonged “political and constitutional assault” on Jammu and Kashmir’s distinctive constitutional position. Farooq said the arrest of a sitting Prime Minister had inflicted a “deep and enduring wound” on the collective psyche of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. According to Farooq, the political rupture of 1953 contributed to the prolonged uncertainty, turmoil and human suffering that followed in Jammu and Kashmir. “The people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve nothing less,” Farooq said.