SRINAGAR: J&K CM
Omar Abdullah credited Kashmiris with fighting the 1947 tribal invasion before Indian troops arrived and said people across the LoC might have been protesting to rejoin J&K today had Centre not revoked
Article 370 in 2019.
Speaking at an Independence Day event Saturday, Omar paid tribute to his grandfather and National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, portraying his role in resisting the Pakistan-backed tribal invasion as central to J&Kâs history.
âBefore Indian Army reached here, it was the people of J&K who fought the tribal invaders, who fought the infiltrators sent from across, who fought the soldiers sent from across,â Omar said. âThousands of brave peopleâ sacrificed their lives, he said.
Omarâs remarks came as his govt continues to press for restoration of J&Kâs statehood, while Sheikh Abdullahâs legacy remains a political fault line after the abrogation of Article 370.
Recent unrest in PoK sharpened Omarâs argument. âWhen I see the situation today across the LoC, I realise that the decision taken by our leaders 80 years ago for us was the right decision,â Omar said, underscoring Sheikh Abdullah preferring Indiaâs secular ideals over Pakistan and supporting J&Kâs accession in 1947.
Pakistani security firing has killed dozens following protests demanding abolition of 12 seats in the 53-member PoK assembly reserved for refugees from J&K who settled there after 1947. Protesters say the seats let Pakistani parties wield influence in PoK.
Omar said the condition of PoK made him wonder what might have happened had J&Kâs situation not changed in 2019. âPerhaps⦠people of that part of J&K would be protesting to rejoin us today,â he said. âThat part of J&K Kashmir is ours. We consider those people as our own. No one is a stranger. No one is an outsider.â
Omar also made federalism a central plank of his speech. âFederalism suffers when central agencies start interfering in the affairs of the states,â he said. Restoring J&Kâs statehood should be part of a broader effort to strengthen all states rather than federalism being reduced to âonly wordsâ, he added.
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Omar also criticised NEET and JEE, saying states had lost their right to conduct admissions to their medical and engineering colleges. National examinations made sense for national institutions such as IITs, IIMs and NIFT, but state institutions should retain the right to conduct exams and grant admissions, he said.