Srinagar, July 16: Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Thursday termed the National Conference's proposed sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar over the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood as a "political drama", asserting that statehood can only be achieved through dialogue with the Centre and not through confrontation. Addressing a workers' meeting at Dak Bungalow in Poonch, Bukhari said the NC failed to raise the issue of statehood when it came to power in 2024 despite securing a strong public mandate. "If the NC was serious about restoring statehood, it should have pursued the issue immediately after forming the government.