Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday questioned the central government’s continued delay in restoring statehood to the union territory, saying the decision should be made in New Delhi and not be linked to the end of militancy.
Speaking in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Abdullah asked whether the government was effectively making the restoration of statehood dependent on the silencing of guns in the region.
“Are you saying that until the guns in Jammu and Kashmir are not silenced, the status of the state will not be restored?” Abdullah said.
He argued that linking statehood to the end of militancy would effectively allow Pakistan to influence when Jammu and Kashmir could regain its state status.
“If you are saying that until the militancy in Jammu and Kashmir is not over, the status of the state will not be restored, then the decision of the state of Jammu and Kashmir will not be made in New Delhi but in Islamabad,” he said.
Abdullah referred to the government’s position that militancy in Jammu and Kashmir originates from Pakistan and cited attacks including those in Pahalgam, Uri and Pulwama, as well as decades of militancy in the region.
He questioned how long the people of Jammu and Kashmir would have to wait for statehood if its restoration was contingent on the end of militancy.
“When will the guns be silenced? And when will you restore the status of the state to us?” he asked.
Abdullah said the restoration of statehood should be a decision taken by the Indian government and not determined by developments across the border.
“We have always believed that if this decision will be made somewhere, it will be made in New Delhi. This decision will not be made anywhere else,” he said.
The chief minister also rejected suggestions that the demand for statehood was being pursued primarily to benefit the National Conference, Congress or their alliance.
He said statehood was not the property of any political party or family, but belonged to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“This state is for them, for us, for the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Abdullah said.
He also accused the government of using political arguments to delay statehood and said the absence of full statehood affected the administration and people of Jammu and Kashmir on a daily basis.
“Not having the status of the state affects us every day,” he said.
