Omar Abdullah renews call for J&K statehood

SRINAGAR: CM Omar Abdullah renewed Wednesday demand for restoring statehood to J&K, saying political discourse around reversing Union territory status remains active and ongoing.

“Conversation around statehood hasn’t died down,” Omar said after chairing a meeting of administrative secretaries in Gulmarg. “A recent Niti Aayog document, also shared with the PM and members of Aayog, categorically mentioned restoring statehood to J&K.”

Omar, however, opposed the suggestion of convening a special assembly session to push the demand. “That’s the only point I disagreed on,” he said.

Parliament repealed Article 370 on Aug 5, 2019, ending J&K’s special status, and govt restructured the region into two Union territories — including Ladakh. Regional parties widely opposed the move and restoration has remained a consistent political demand in J&K.

Omar also pushed efforts to revive tourism in Kashmir following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam that halted visitor activity across the region. “Tourism stopped completely after April 22. Before expecting tourists from rest of country, we must go ourselves,” he said, referencing back-to-back official meetings in Pahalgam and Gulmarg this week. He urged schools and colleges to resume excursions to tourist spots “to move a little towards normalcy”.

Omar also demanded investigation into rising calls on social media to boycott Kashmir, calling such campaigns unjustified. “People of J&K strongly condemned the Pahalgam attack. After April 22, Kashmiris came out saying loudly, ‘Not in our name’,” he said.

He urged Union govt to deploy intelligence agencies to trace origins of boycott calls. “The attack wasn’t carried out by Kashmiris, nor did anyone force tourists out. If, even after that, blame continues, what more are Kashmiris expected to do?” he asked.

The CM highlighted need for coordination among three “power centres” — J&K’s elected govt, LG’s office, and Union government — to ensure safety. “I can build infrastructure and promote tourism, but security is under LG’s jurisdiction,” he said. “We must collaborate so April 22 doesn’t repeat.”