Calls Upon Centre to Honour Its Commitment; Says Statehood Is an Issue Concerning Entire People of Jammu & Kashmir
CM Says Delimitation and Elections Completed, Seeks Next Step on Restoration of Statehood
SRINAGAR, SEPTEMBER 25 :
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday moved a resolution in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly seeking the immediate and urgent restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, urging the Government of India to fulfil its commitment made to the people of the Union Territory.
The resolution was introduced during the ongoing Autumn Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly and seeks to reinforce the resolutions adopted by the House earlier on June 26, 2000, and November 6, 2024.
The resolution states that, in continuation of the earlier decisions of the House, the Assembly calls upon the Government of India to take immediate steps for the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and further resolves that the resolution be forwarded to the Government of India.
Moving the resolution, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah appealed to members across the political spectrum to support the measure unanimously, stressing that the demand for statehood should not be viewed through the prism of party politics.
He said the question of statehood concerns the entire population of Jammu and Kashmir and should therefore receive collective support from the House.
The Chief Minister said the people had already participated in the electoral process and expressed hope that the restoration of statehood would follow the completion of the other commitments made in relation to Jammu and Kashmir.
Referring to the sequence of delimitation, elections and restoration of statehood, Omar said the first two processes had already been completed, while the final step remained pending.
He noted that people of Jammu and Kashmir participated in the elections voluntarily and expected the promised restoration of statehood to follow.
‘Commitment To People Must Be Fulfilled’
Omar Abdullah said the issue of restoration of statehood had been raised repeatedly with the Government of India through different platforms and that the Assembly was once again placing the demand formally before the Centre.
He referred to statements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding restoration of statehood and said the commitment made to the people should now be honoured.
The Chief Minister stressed that the demand was not restricted to the ruling benches or the Opposition.
He said statehood belongs to the entire Jammu and Kashmir, describing it as an issue that transcends political divisions within the Assembly.
CM Highlights Administrative Limitations
During his intervention, Omar Abdullah also referred to certain areas of administration to underline what he described as the limitations faced by the elected government under the existing arrangement.
He cited the Power Development Corporation as one example, saying that despite holding the portfolios of Chief Minister and Power Minister, the elected government does not exercise the same degree of control over the corporation that would exist under a full-fledged state structure.
He also referred to the functioning of SKIMS, stating that although the elected government provides financial support to the institution, several important decisions concerning the premier healthcare institution are not entirely within the government’s authority.
The Chief Minister said there were several other examples which he intended to place before the House during the detailed discussion on the resolution.
Earlier Assembly Resolutions To Remain Intact
Clarifying the purpose of the fresh resolution, Omar Abdullah said the latest resolution was not intended to replace, dilute or invalidate the earlier resolutions passed by the Assembly.
He said the new resolution had been deliberately drafted as an addition to the previous resolutions and would reaffirm the House’s continued demand for restoration of full statehood.
According to the Chief Minister, the earlier resolutions would continue to remain part of the Assembly’s record, while the latest resolution would add another formal expression of the House’s demand.
‘J&K Wants Full Statehood, Not A Partial Arrangement’
Omar Abdullah also rejected speculation about any possible partial restoration of statehood.
He said Jammu and Kashmir had been promised full statehood and that the demand before the Centre was for the restoration of the complete status rather than a truncated arrangement.
The Chief Minister said the people of Jammu and Kashmir should not be offered a diluted version of statehood and reiterated that the elected government was seeking the full restoration of statehood.
Appeals For Unanimous Support
Concluding his intervention, the Chief Minister called upon all members of the Legislative Assembly to participate in the discussion and extend support to the resolution.
He maintained that a unanimous expression of the House would demonstrate that the demand for restoration of full statehood was a collective issue concerning Jammu and Kashmir as a whole, rather than a matter confined to any particular political party or section of the Assembly.(KNC)