SRINAGAR, June 5: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said that Article 370 was not responsible for the region’s lack of development, asserting that its abrogation has also not resulted in any “extraordinary economic transformation.”
Omar Abdullah said that the developmental and economic challenges of Jammu and Kashmir stemmed primarily from decades of violence and instability rather than its former special constitutional status.
“Article 370 was never a cause of any lack of development in Jammu and Kashmir, nor has its revocation suddenly resulted in massive development,” he said.
The National Conference leader said nearly three decades of militancy had severely impacted the region’s economy by deterring investment and business activity.
“People will not invest money in a part of the country that they deem unsafe. The perception that Jammu and Kashmir was unsafe for travel or business is what hurt us, not Article 370,” he added.
Abdullah also accused the BJP of using Article 370 as a political issue, pointing out that similar constitutional arrangements exist in other parts of the country but are not debated in the same manner. He cited regions such as Lakshadweep and parts of the Northeast, where certain restrictions remain in place.
“The only thing that was talked about was Jammu and Kashmir and the fact that you couldn’t buy land there. That was the stick used to beat us with,” he said.
On the issue of statehood restoration, the Chief Minister said it remains a top priority for his government, but there is still no clarity on the conditions set for its return.
“My target is to achieve statehood, yet I have no idea what goals I have to achieve to reach that point,” he said.
Abdullah added that governance would improve once statehood is restored, arguing that the current Union Territory framework limits the powers of an elected government.
“It is better to be a state than a Union Territory. That is what we are trying to correct,” he said.
