Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has strongly criticized the linking of terror attacks to the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood, a day after the Supreme Court referenced the Pahalgam attack during a hearing on the matter. Abdullah asserted that Pakistan should not be allowed to dictate the region's political future through terrorism.
On India's Independence Day, Abdullah delivered a forceful speech, expressing his disappointment with the Supreme Court's reference to the Pahalgam massacre. He questioned the fairness of delaying statehood due to such incidents, arguing that the people of Jammu and Kashmir should not be punished for the crimes of terrorists. "Will the killers of Pahalgam and their masters in the neighboring country decide whether we will be a state?" Abdullah asked. He highlighted that residents across Jammu and Kashmir, from Kathua to Kupwara, protested the Pahalgam attack, demonstrating their desire for peace and normalcy.
Abdullah announced a massive door-to-door signature campaign across Jammu and Kashmir's 90 assembly segments to demand the restoration of statehood. The collected signatures will be presented to the Supreme Court. The Chief Minister said, "From today, we will use these eight weeks to go door to door in all 90 assembly segments for a signature campaign on the restoration of statehood". He added that if people are not ready to sign the document, he would accept defeat.
The Supreme Court's observation that "incidents like Pahalgam cannot be ignored" when deciding on statehood has sparked varied reactions from political parties in Jammu and Kashmir. While acknowledging the need to consider the ground realities, Abdullah and other leaders have cautioned against linking the region's political future to isolated incidents of violence.
The People's Democratic Party (PDP) President, Mehbooba Mufti, stated that the Supreme Court's reference to the Pahalgam attack reflects the government's continued lack of confidence in the region's stability. She argued that even after the revocation of Article 370 and the creation of the Union Territory, the central government appears unwilling to ease its control over Jammu and Kashmir. Mufti described the situation as a "political and psychological deadlock".
The state of Jammu and Kashmir was a region formerly administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019. In August 2019, the Parliament of India passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, which split the state into two union territories – Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.
The Supreme Court has granted the central government eight weeks to respond to the plea seeking the restoration of statehood. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the petitioners, argued that the failure to restore statehood is affecting the rights of the people. He contended that since assembly elections were conducted peacefully, there should be no security concerns preventing the restoration of statehood.
Abdullah has called the current governance structure "designed for failure," citing stalled Cabinet decisions and bureaucratic unaccountability. He questioned whether Jammu and Kashmir has achieved equality with the rest of India, asserting that the prolonged wait for statehood and unfulfilled promises from Delhi have dimmed hopes.
Amidst these developments, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had promised the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, without disclosing a specific timeline.
