Civil society members urge Centre to restore J&K statehood without delay

The resolution was passed at a meeting convened at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar. The gathering was presided over by National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and the party's vice-president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

In a statement, the National Conference said representatives from different sections of civil society unanimously adopted the resolution seeking the immediate restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

“The resolution reflects the collective and unanimous voice of the civil society representatives present at the meeting, reaffirming the broad-based demand for the immediate restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir,” the party said.

The meeting comes as the ruling National Conference prepares for its proposed protest in New Delhi later this month to press for the restoration of statehood.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah thanked the civil society representatives for accepting the invitation to attend the meeting. “The meeting was extremely productive and Dr Sahib was able to get a lot of useful feedback and valuable suggestions,” Omar said in a post on social media.

He said the participants unanimously passed a resolution urging the Union Government to fulfil its promise of restoring full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir without further delay.

Since the National Conference government assumed office in 2024, Omar Abdullah and senior party leaders have repeatedly pressed the Centre for the restoration of statehood. The Union Government has maintained that statehood will be restored at an “appropriate time”.

The issue has also gained prominence within the ruling party, with several National Conference legislators urging the government to pursue the demand for statehood more assertively amid the Union Territory's dual governance structure.