‘Pak pushing terror in J&K, needs to rethink its stance post Op Sindoor’
Srinagar, Jul 20: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday made a forceful plea for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir without further delay, and indicated that all avenues, including legal options, were being explored by the ruling National Conference in this regard.
The Chief Minister also dismissed talk of a “hybrid system” of government under which law and order would continue to be with the Centre even after statehood is restored, and questioned the ECI over the delay in filling Rajya Sabha seats and conducting bye-elections to two assembly seats in the Union territory.
He also unequivocally stated that Pakistan’s “inimical intentions” remain the most formidable challenge to achieving a terror-free Jammu and Kashmir, cautioning Islamabad that India now views any terror attack as an act of war, while dismissing the narrative that the abrogation of Article 370 was the solution to terrorism in the region, asserting that the recent Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives, had starkly proven this false.
Nearly ten months after the National Conference swept to power in the Union territory, Abdullah asserted that statehood was a fundamental right of the people.
“The Centre had promised it in Parliament and before the Supreme Court,” he said.
Abdullah dismissed talk of a “hybrid system” of government under which law and order would continue to be with the Centre even after statehood is restored and said such talk was emanating from those who had cast doubts about the holding of last year’s Assembly elections in which over 64 per cent of voters participated.
“Well, obviously, it’s not an ideal situation. In spite of repeated promises, commitments in Parliament, commitments to the Supreme Court, the matter has still not sort of been resolved. And we’re not asking for something that is not our due. Statehood is the right, it was promised to the people.
“So, we’re not asking for it. It’s not something that is out of the ordinary or was not part of the public discourse. But, for reasons best known to the powers that be in the Union government, it hasn’t happened so far. But, we’re pushing,” Abdullah told a newswire in an interview.
Abdullah, who maintains a “cordial” relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, refrained from disclosing specifics of their private discussions on the matter, affirming only that the issue of statehood has been raised “multiple times at multiple levels”.
“Conversations that have been individually had between myself, the Prime Minister, Home Minister, etc. are not conversations that are meant to be shared. Rest assured, this issue of statehood and other issues concerning J&K have been taken up multiple times at multiple levels. And we continue to do so,” he said.
He defended his pragmatic approach to engaging with the central government, emphasising that public appreciation for cooperation does not preclude him from speaking out when warranted.
“As far as enjoying a good relationship is concerned, I don’t see why that is something that should invite so much commentary. At the end of the day, there are political equations that exist between political parties.
“Those remain in terms of whatever the National Conference has with regard to the BJP’s policies or vice versa. But then there are government-to-government relations.
“You tell me, barring maybe one or two examples, generally in the country, relationships between the Union government and the Prime Minister’s office, I mean, normally both sides make an attempt to keep the relations cordial.
“In J&K’s case, the onus is again more on both the individuals who occupy the office of the chief minister and the prime minister to keep things cordial,” he said.
He clarified his own stance: “Confrontation happens when confrontation is due. If up until now, the Government of India has been helpful, should I not be sort of at least publicly appreciative of that? But where things are not good or where things are wrong, I am not silent on that.”
To a question whether his party was planning to move the Supreme Court for statehood, the chief minister said, “We are looking at various options. There have been a few conversations both within the party as well as with some experts to see what we should do.”
The chief minister dismissed any suggestions of a “hybrid system” where law and order would remain with the Union government even after statehood is restored.
“There is no such model in this country. And why are people speculating? The people who are planting this are the same people who were planting that elections will not happen. Or elections should not happen.
“Yet these very same people are silent about the failures of Pahalgam or the spread of militancy.”
He challenged those proposing such a system to explain the “dramatic spread” of terror infrastructure in J-K since January 2015, when he demitted office, which included the recent Pahalgam attack in which 26 people, mainly tourists, were gunned down by terrorists.
“In my time, we had reduced it virtually to two to two-and-a-half districts. Today, there is hardly a district in the Valley and a large part of Jammu that is not affected,” Abdullah asserted.
He argued that this expansion of militancy occurred while J-K was a Union territory, under central control, not an elected government.
“Elected governments seem to have done a better job,” he stated, dismissing the notion that an elected government is incapable of managing the security situation.
“We have managed perfectly well in the past and we will manage well in the future also. This hybrid system is not acceptable,” Abdullah said.
He underscored the inherent flaws of the Union territory model, questioning why such a system, if “ideal,” is confined to only a few small areas.
“If this is the best form of governance… Please do it in UP. Do it in Maharashtra. Do it in Chhattisgarh. Do it in all the Northeast states. Do it in Madhya Pradesh,” he challenged.
Abdullah pointed out that while J-K’s area has shrunk since 2019, its population remains largely the same, making the current model of governance unsuitable for its scale and needs. “This model of governance does not work,” he said.
He further criticised the current dual power structure, describing it as “not an ideal form of government”.
While acknowledging that a complete “disaster” has been averted so far, he pointed out the inherent inefficiencies and lack of accountability when there isn’t a single chain of command, but expressed the hope for a swift resolution to the ongoing conversations with the Union government regarding these operational challenges and the pending business rules.
Omar also unequivocally stated that Pakistan’s “inimical intentions” remain the most formidable challenge to achieving a terror-free Jammu and Kashmir, cautioning Islamabad that India now views any terror attack as an act of war.
Dismissing the narrative that the abrogation of Article 370 was the solution to terrorism in the region, he asserted that the recent Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives, had starkly proven this false.
“No matter what we do, if Pakistan’s intent is inimical, then we will never fully achieve a terror-free Jammu and Kashmir. And I think Pahalgam has proven that,” Abdullah said.
“The BJP tried very hard to sell this narrative that terror in Jammu and Kashmir was the result of Article 370. We know that’s not true. Terror in Jammu and Kashmir is the result of Pakistan’s intentions. And therefore, that’s why the removal of Article 370 did not stop terror in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
The chief minister emphasised that the onus is now on Pakistan to reassess its strategy and highlighted a critical shift in New Delhi’s posture, warning that the Indian government has set a “very low bar” for what constitutes an act of aggression.
“The biggest challenge will be to convince Pakistan that its support for these sorts of activities is bad for us, but it’s bad for Pakistan,” Abdullah stressed.
“And given now the sort of very low bar that the Government of India has set, that any attack will be seen as an act of war, Pakistan needs to seriously think about whether it wants to plunge the neighbourhood into a war.”
On the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mainly tourists, Abdullah acknowledged Lt Governor Manoj Sinha’s admission of a “security and intelligence failure” and termed it as a positive first step.
However, he asserted that it was “not good enough.”
He said, “26 people died. 26 innocent people were brutally murdered. Where were the lapses? This Pahalgam incident brought two nations, two nuclear powers to war.”
“As a first step, it is appreciable that the Lt Governor (Manoj Sinha) has said that he is responsible. But down the chain of command, accountability has to be fixed, since we know now that it was a security and intelligence lapse. The next step would be to fix responsibility. And then heads must roll,” he said.
Post Pahalgam, the chief minister expressed optimism to a question whether his government could balance the fragile peace with the vital need to revive tourism saying, “We have to trust our forces to do what is right and to ensure that any gaps that have been identified as a result of Pahalgam are plugged.”
He stressed about his government’s push to restart tourism, saying “tourism is an important part of JK’s economy” and said a vast number of jobs and its appeal as a destination people genuinely want to visit.
The recent, gradual return of tourists was a heartening sign, a testament to the active efforts of his government to participate in events across the country to bring them back.
About the security audit of tourist spots, he said, “Not that it should be done, it was being done… and those have gradually started to be reopened, and I am hopeful that after Amarnath Yatra, most of the other ones that are closed will also be reopened.”
The closures, he noted, were an anomaly. “We have never had tourist destinations closed,” he said, a hint of disbelief in his voice. “Even in the worst of days, tourist destinations were not closed.”
He presented a stark choice. Either the situation was now far worse than it had been 10 or 15 years ago, which he believed was not the case, or a considered decision needed to be made.
“If that’s not the case, then we need to sort of take a considered decision, and post-Amarnath Yatra, start reopening all the closed areas,” he concluded, making it clear that a return to a full sense of normalcy was both necessary and long overdue.
The Chief Minister also voiced concern over the “undue delay” in filling Rajya Sabha seats and conducting bye-elections to two assembly seats in the Union territory.
The Union territory, with four seats in Rajya Sabha, has been unrepresented in the Upper House of Parliament since February 15, 2021, the day when Ghulam Nabi Azad and Nazir Ahmed Laway finished their term.
Two other members, Fayaz Ahmed Mir and Shamsheer Singh Manhas, had completed their term on February 10, the same year.
Abdullah called on the Election Commission (EC) to clarify the reasons for the delay, stating, “We don’t understand… I don’t understand why these elections are being put on the back burner.”
He was replying to questions about by-elections to two assembly seats — Nagrota in Jammu and Budgam in Kashmir — as well as the four vacant seats of Rajya Sabha.
The Nagrota seat fell vacant after BJP leader Davinder Rana passed away immediately after the results were announced, while the seat in the Kashmir region was vacated by the chief minister, who was also contesting from Ganderbal.
The chief minister said that the Jammu and Kashmir assembly has had two sessions since the last election, and yet, no polls have been conducted for the Rajya Sabha seats.
“Why has there been no Rajya Sabha election? It takes one day,” he added.
Abdullah contrasted sharply with a previous experience in 2014, when his government sought to postpone state elections because of massive floods but was informed that polling could not be postponed “under any circumstances”.
“Today, we are not asking for postponement. We have had two sessions of the Assembly. Why has there been no Rajya Sabha election? It takes one day,” Abdullah said.
He stressed the need for representation in the Upper House, no matter the political affiliation.
“Today, Jammu and Kashmir has no representation in the Rajya Sabha,” he said, lamenting the absence of four key voices from the state in Parliament.
