Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday renewed his call for the restoration of special status and statehood, saying that if Article 370 had not been revoked in 2019, people in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir would now have been protesting for reunification with Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking at the official Independence Day event at Srinagar’s Bakshi Stadium, Abdullah said the decision taken by Jammu and Kashmir’s leaders nearly eight decades ago to join India had proved to be the correct one.
“If our situation had not been altered in 2019, the people of that part of Jammu and Kashmir across the LoC would have been protesting to reunite with us,” he said.
Abdullah maintained that restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional safeguards and statehood was important not only for the region but also for reinforcing India’s federal structure.
‘DECISION TO JOIN INDIA WAS RIGHT’
While paying tribute to National Conference founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and those who opposed the Pakistan-backed tribal invasion of 1947, the Chief Minister said thousands of people had laid down their lives to defend Jammu and Kashmir before the arrival of the Indian Army.
“When I see the situation across the border and the Line of Control, I realise that our ancestors who said ‘hamlavar khabardar, hum Kashmiri hain tayyar’ were right,” he said.
Abdullah added that the decision taken by the region’s leaders 80 years ago to join India had been the right one.
He also remembered National Conference leader Master Abdul Aziz, who was killed in Muzaffarabad while resisting the invasion.
Referring to residents of PoK, Abdullah said India continued to consider them its own and noted that seats for representatives from PoK remained reserved in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
‘WHAT WAS TAKEN AWAY SHOULD BE RETURNED’
Abdullah said respecting the sacrifices made by those who defended Jammu and Kashmir also meant pursuing what he described as their unfinished dreams.
He said fulfilling that legacy meant restoring special status and constitutional protections for Jammu and Kashmir, regaining statehood and ushering in a new phase of development.
Describing democracy and federalism as two of India’s strongest foundations, Abdullah said Jammu and Kashmir should become the starting point for strengthening federalism.
He said India was a union of states and argued that strengthening the federal system required beginning with Jammu and Kashmir. He maintained that what had been taken away from the region should be restored so that its identity was reflected not merely in words but in practice.
CM WARNS AGAINST CENTRALISATION
The Chief Minister also criticised what he described as the increasing concentration of powers at the Centre at the expense of states.
Referring to national entrance examinations such as NEET and JEE, Abdullah said centralised examinations could have a role for national institutions but argued that state-run institutions should have greater authority over their admission processes.
“When the powers of states are hollowed out, the fallout is seen on the streets,” Abdullah said.
The National Conference leader connected the issue to recent student protests in Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir, arguing that unrest on the streets reflected broader concerns about the weakening of state autonomy.
