Omar Abdullah renews call for J&K statehood | India News

SRINAGAR: CM Omar Abdullah renewed Wednesday demand for restoring statehood to J&Ok, saying political discourse round reversing Union territory standing stays energetic and ongoing.“Conversation around statehood hasn’t died down,” Omar mentioned after chairing a gathering of administrative secretaries in Gulmarg. “A recent Niti Aayog document, also shared with the PM and members of Aayog, categorically mentioned restoring statehood to J&K.”Omar, nevertheless, opposed the suggestion of convening a particular meeting session to push the demand. “That’s the only point I disagreed on,” he mentioned.Parliament repealed Article 370 on Aug 5, 2019, ending J&Ok’s particular standing, and govt restructured the area into two Union territories — together with Ladakh. Regional events broadly opposed the transfer and restoration has remained a constant political demand in J&Ok.Omar additionally pushed efforts to revive tourism in Kashmir following the terrorist assault in Pahalgam that halted customer exercise throughout the area. “Tourism stopped completely after April 22. Before expecting tourists from rest of country, we must go ourselves,” he mentioned, referencing back-to-back official conferences in Pahalgam and Gulmarg this week. He urged colleges and schools to renew excursions to vacationer spots “to move a little towards normalcy”.Omar additionally demanded investigation into rising calls on social media to boycott Kashmir, calling such campaigns unjustified. “People of J&K strongly condemned the Pahalgam attack. After April 22, Kashmiris came out saying loudly, ‘Not in our name’,” he mentioned.He urged Union govt to deploy intelligence companies to hint origins of boycott calls. “The attack wasn’t carried out by Kashmiris, nor did anyone force tourists out. If, even after that, blame continues, what more are Kashmiris expected to do?” he requested.The CM highlighted want for coordination amongst three “power centres” — J&Ok’s elected govt, LG’s workplace, and Union authorities — to make sure security. “I can build infrastructure and promote tourism, but security is under LG’s jurisdiction,” he mentioned. “We must collaborate so April 22 doesn’t repeat.”