J&K CM Omar Abdullah says PoK situation vindicates accession, renews statehood demand
Claims PoK residents would have sought reunification had Art 370 not been abrogated
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said the situation across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan- occupied Kashmir (PoK) had reinforced his belief that the decision taken by J&K’s leaders in 1947 to join India was the right one.
He also said that had the special status of J&K under Article 370 not been revoked in 2019, people living across the LoC would today have been seeking reunification with the Union Territory.
“When I see the situation across the border and the Line of Control (LoC), I realise that our ancestors who said ‘hamlavar khabardar, hum Kashmiri hain tayyar’ (Attackers beware, Kashmiris are prepared) were right. I realise that 80 years ago, the decision our leaders took for us was the right one,” Abdullah said.
Addressing the 80th Independence Day function at Bakhshi Stadium in Srinagar, where he took the salute at the ceremonial parade and march-past, the Chief Minister said people living across the LoC were not strangers but part of J&K.
“We consider those people as our own, not strangers,” he said, adding that the J&K Legislative Assembly continued to keep seats vacant for representatives from that part of J&K in the hope that one day they would be able to occupy them.
Abdullah also renewed his government’s demand for restoration of statehood, saying the National Conference-led administration was fighting for the restoration of constitutional guarantees and the special status of J&K.
“Whether it is to bring J&K to that level again, whether it is to restore the constitutional guarantees of J&K, whether it is to regain the special status of J&K, or whether it is to start a new era of progress in J&K, your government is not only promising all these things, but your government will make it a reality,” he said.
He said the government remained committed to restoring J&K’s constitutional guarantees, regaining statehood and ushering in a new era of development.
“Our efforts are aimed at ensuring that every young person in every village can see a ray of hope and feel that J&K is moving from uncertainty towards a better future,” he said.
“We will continue to represent you. We will continue to serve you. We will continue to do our work to bring J&K to that level,” Abdullah said, assuring people that the government would work to turn their aspirations into reality.
He also recalled the sacrifice of Master Abdul Aziz, an NC leader who was killed in Muzaffarabad while resisting the tribal attack.
Turning to the issue of federalism, Abdullah said democracy and federalism were among the country’s biggest strengths and needed to be preserved, strengthened and deepened.
“Our country is a Union of States,” he said, asserting that strengthening federalism required strengthening states and respecting their constitutional powers and responsibilities.
He said erosion of the powers of states or interference by central agencies in areas falling within their domain weakened the federal structure.
The Chief Minister also stressed the need to restore public trust in recruitment and admission processes, saying that while trust could be lost in moments, rebuilding it required years of sustained effort.
