1981

• January 23: Abdullah nominates his son, Farooq Abdullah, as his successor.
• August: Abdullah gets Farooq Abdullah elected President of National Conference.
• Disagreement between Abdullah and Delhi over definition of who is or isn't a Kashmiri citizen ensues. The Resettlement Bill which Abdullah wants passed will practically obliterate the cease-fire line in the sense that refugees who from Indian-held Kashmir living in Azad Kashmir obtain right of return to State as if they are returning residents.