‘Separatism has declined in J&K, no one had imagined Mirwaiz will get CRPF cover’
Jammu: Reflecting on his tenure as Chief Minister before 2019 and his return to the position now, Omar Abdullah admitted that the landscape of Jammu and Kashmir has changed drastically.
“It’s obvious there is a difference. Earlier, when I was the Chief Minister, Jammu and Kashmir was a state with special status and unique rights compared to other states. Today, it is a Union Territory, and there’s a vast difference between the two. It takes time to understand this change and to explain it to others,” he explained while speaking to a news channel.
Abdullah emphasized that the shift from statehood to Union Territory has affected governance, administration, and the overall socio-political atmosphere.
He noted that while the people of Jammu and Kashmir are resilient, adapting to the new reality remains challenging.
The Chief Minister also mentioned the upcoming Assembly Budget Session, where he plans to address these issues more comprehensively.
“There will be questions, debates, and discussions about the past four months. That will be the right platform to put everything on record,” he added.
When asked about the future of Article 370 and statehood, Abdullah reaffirmed his commitment to restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s previous status. “Yes, Article 370 was removed, and elections were held. Our government was formed. But does that mean we’ve given up on our demand? Absolutely not. I firmly believe statehood will be restored, and I hope it happens soon,” he asserted.
He stressed that the central leadership had assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir that statehood would return, and those promises must be honored.
Highlighting his government’s priorities, Abdullah said the primary focus had been rebuilding trust between the people and the administration.
“There was a noticeable gap between the government and the people. Our first step was to bridge that gap, and we’ve made significant progress. I won’t claim everything has been achieved, but we’ve improved key areas, including power supply. This winter, the electricity situation was better than last year, and we will continue working towards further improvement,” he said.
Omar Abdullah admitted that the revocation of Article 370 led to a decline in separatist activities. “No one can deny that separatism has declined in J&K. No one had imagined that Mirwaiz Umar Farooq would be provided security by the CRPF.”
He expressed concern over the resurgence of terrorism in Jammu province. “It is unfortunate that terrorism has revived in Jammu. We had wiped it out, and it must be eliminated again,” he said, blaming Pakistan for continued interference in the region.
On the INDIA alliance, Omar Abdullah admitted that there was confusion regarding its scope. “If the alliance is only for parliamentary elections, then it means there is no alliance for assembly elections. If we are together, we should contest assembly polls collectively. Fighting separately has hurt the bloc, as seen in Delhi and Haryana.”
