After Bukhari’s ‘good joke’, Omar takes first post Aug 5 flight to Delhi

JAMMU: As the civil aviation sector resumed its limited operation Monday after over two months of lockdown, one of the passengers on first flight from Srinagar to Delhi was former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Detained on the intervening night of August 4 and 5, 2019, the eve of revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, and later booked under Public Safety Act, Omar Abdullah was released from the Hari Niwas subsidiary jail on March 24, 2020. Ever since his release he has been confined to his Gupkar house as the day of his release coincided with the coronavirus triggered lockdown. His last visit to Delhi was on August 1, 2019 when he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, together with father and National Conference patron Dr Farooq Abdullah and other party MP, Justice Hasnain Masoodi.
Party and family source say the visit of former Chief Minister to Delhi is strictly private, including a health related reason, but a political importance can certainly not be ruled out. Omar Abdullah is in Delhi at a time when anonymously sourced ostensibly planted stories in a section of media are suggesting formation of a new power structure under Altaf Bukhari who formed new political party in March. Bukhari has over denied these suggestions a “good joke”.
Omar Abdullah had been asking for a permission to travel since the beginning of lockdown 3.0 when limited private transport was allowed but the authorities in the Union Territory administration couldn’t take a decision. It is reliably learnt that Omar was allowed to travel out of the Union Territory only after suggestion from the Centre.
“Since as a former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah continues to enjoy special protection cover under Special Security Group (SSG) his travel outside the Union Territory needed a special set of clearances from the security point of view”, said a source familiar to the development.
A day before Omar Abdullah’s travel to New Delhi, his close aide in the party Tanveer Sadiq wrote a piece in a Srinagar based newspaper calling for “reconciliation” and “moving forward”. Ever since his release on March 24, Omar has not protested over the events of August 5, 2019.
It is interesting to note that since Sunday, rumours are taking rounds about possible emergence of a new power structure in Jammu and Kashmir with Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari in the lead. However, Bukhari has underplayed any such development.
“It is a good joke....,” Bukhari said when asked whether he would be administered oath as first Chief Minister of the Union Territory. Officials said that there is no legal provision for formation of interim government under any law in India. “The Government of Union Territories Act-1963 is not applicable to Jammu and Kashmir.
Nor this law provides for formation of an interim government,” they said, adding that legislative framework for J&K is defined under the J&K Re-organisation Act. They also disclosed that there is no question of appointment of any politician as advisor or Chief Advisor to Lieutenant Governor.
However, a new round of rumours gained momentum when a popular “national” TV channel gave out names of Altaf Bukhari and four others to be administered “oath” on a certain date.