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Omar Abdullah reacts to top court's 'unfortunate' Pahalgam comment: 'Statehood hope fading'
Omar Abdullah questioned whether Jammu and Kashmir has been brought on par with other parts of the country, asking if the promises have been fulfilled.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday voiced concern over the region’s statehood, saying that while hopes were high on Independence Day, the prospects now appear to be fading, but the struggle will continue.
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He questioned whether Jammu and Kashmir has been brought on par with other parts of the country, asking, “We were told J&K will be brought on par with other parts of the country; today I want to ask, are we?”
He added, “My well-wishers told me something big for J&K will be announced on Independence Day; ray of hope fading, but we won't give up.”
Abdullah said his team will go door to door over the next eight weeks to collect signatures in support of statehood, which will then be presented before the Supreme Court.
“In the next 8 weeks, we'll go door to door in J&K to collect signatures for statehood restoration. We will present them before the Supreme Court,” he said.
Calling statehood the first step toward transforming Jammu and Kashmir’s future, he criticised remarks suggesting that incidents like the Pahalgam attack should influence the decision.
Omar Abdullah, as quoted by PTI, said, “Unfortunate comments by the Supreme Court that Pahalgam should be considered when statehood for Jammu and Kashmir is decided,” adding, “Will Pahalgam killers, [or] a neighbouring country, decide whether Jammu and Kashmir will be a state?”
Earlier, while addressing a gathering at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar, Omar said, “More than six years have passed since the people of Jammu and Kashmir last heard their representative address them from here. When I last spoke from this platform, I was the chief minister of a state. We had our own identity in the country, a constitution, a flag, and statehood. Today, none of those remain.”
He said that even restoring democracy took time, but better late than never, and today the people finally have their own government once again.
