'Army concerns on special powers act misplaced'

Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah fielded a wide range of questions in an interview with Ramesh Vinayak, HT's Resident Editor in Chandigarh and Toufiq Rashid, HT's Kashmir bureau chief.

Not since 1989 when a violent Pakistan-backed secessionist movement broke out in Kashmir has the Valley seen such a long spell of relative calm as in the past two years.

This summer in particular has been awash with signs of normalcy -- a chart-busting tourist season, an all-time low incidence of militant violence and a subdued separatist sentiment.

But such peaceful interregnums in Kashmir can be deceptively short, invariably punctuated by outbursts of turmoil.

Perhaps few people know the possible pitfalls of this mercurial matrix of violence-weary Jammu and Kashmir better than its chief minister Omar Abdullah.

Abdullah fielded a wide range of questions in an interview with Ramesh Vinayak, HT's Resident Editor in Chandigarh and Toufiq Rashid, HT's Kashmir bureau chief at his office in Srinagar recently. Excerpts:

What do you count as the highs and lows of your rule so far?
Clearly, the prevailing situation in the state is one that gives some cause for satisfaction. Development works are going on at a decent pace. We had two good, undisturbed work seasons that have allowed us to utilise resources better than we had been able to in the past.

File photo of Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar. AFP