Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Monday passed a resolution calling upon the Government of India for the immediate and urgent restoration of full Statehood, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah declaring that Statehood is the right of the people and not a favour from the Centre.
The resolution was moved by the Chief Minister, who is also the Leader of the House, on September 25, and was taken up and passed by the House during the Autumn Session. It follows the resolutions adopted by the Assembly on June 26, 2000 and November 6, 2024, and resolves that it be forwarded to the Government of India.
Speaking in the House, Omar Abdullah said the resolution had become necessary because uncertainty over Statehood had persisted for nearly two years after the elected government took office. “We have been waiting for two years, that the central government will fulfill its promise,” he said. Citing the Supreme Court’s direction that Statehood be restored at the earliest after elections, he questioned the delay. “In which English, ‘as soon as possible’ means two years?” he asked, seeking clarity on what “at the appropriate time” means and whether restoration was being tied to the security situation. If it depended on the complete end of militancy, he said, the decision would rest on developments beyond the control of the elected government, and it should instead be taken in New Delhi.
The Chief Minister also rejected the idea that the demand belongs to any one party. Statehood, he said, is not for a particular party, family or the National Conference alone, but for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He urged members not to press amendments that could hand the BJP opposition an excuse to oppose the resolution.
To illustrate the practical cost of Union Territory status, he pointed to a committee on regularising daily wagers that has yet to submit its report, and to the fact that the Union Territory still has no Advocate General nearly two years after the government was formed. He said the reservation decision, approved by the Cabinet and sent to the Lieutenant Governor after replies to queries from the Centre, remains unimplemented. He noted that the Chief Minister no longer has a role in the universities at Awantipora and Rajouri, that the Academy of Art, Culture and Languages falls under the Lieutenant Governor, and that the Business Rules submitted nearly two years ago await approval.
“Jammu and Kashmir doesn’t need any favor,” he said, adding, “We want the answer, we want justice and we have the right to rule.” Concluding, he urged the House to pass the resolution, which it then did.
