‘If J&K’s Special Status Hadn’t Been Scrapped…’: Omar Abdullah Reiterates Statehood Push, Flags PoK Unrest

Oma
Abdullah
I depe de ce
Day
Speech:
Jammu
a d
Kashmi
Chief
Mi iste
Oma
Abdullah
used
his
I depe de ce
Day
add ess
i
S i aga
to
eite ate
his
gove me t’s
commitme t
to
esto i g
statehood
a d
co stitutio al
safegua ds
that
we e
withd aw
f om
the
egio
i
August
2019.
Abdullah
also
efe ed
to
the
ece t
u est
i
Pakista -occupied
Kashmi
(PoK),
d awi g
a
co t ast
betwee
developme ts
o
the
othe
side
of
the
Li e
of
Co t ol
a d
Jammu
a d
Kashmi ‘s
decisio
to
accede
to
I dia
i
1947.

Statehood
Resto atio
Remai s
Key
P io ity

Add essi g
the
I depe de ce
Day
gathe i g
i
S i aga ,
Abdullah
said
his
gove me t
would
co ti ue
to
pu sue
the
esto atio
of
Jammu
a d
Kashmi ‘s
statehood
a d
co stitutio al
p otectio s.
He
said,
“ou
gove me t
was
committed
to
st uggle
fo
the
esto atio
of
statehood
a d
co stitutio al
gua a tees,
a d
to
put
Jammu
a d
Kashmi
o
the
path
of
developme t
a d
we
will
wo k
to
fulfil
these
goals.”

The
Chief
Mi iste
epeated
the
commitme t
du i g
his
speech,
p ese ti g
the
esto atio
of
statehood
a d
co stitutio al
gua a tees
as
a
majo
objective
of
his
admi ist atio .

His
ema ks
come
agai st
the
backd op
of
the
August
2019
cha ges,
whe
the
e stwhile
state
was
eo ga ised
i to
the
U io
Te ito ies
of
Jammu
a d
Kashmi
a d
Ladakh.

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Top
Poi ts

Abdullah
Li ks
PoK
U est
To
1947
Accessio

Abdullah
also
efe ed
to
u est
i
PoK,
sayi g
developme ts
the e
ei fo ced
his
belief
that
Jammu
a d
Kashmi ‘s
decisio
i
1947
was
the
co ect
o e.

He
exp essed
co ce
ove
the
deaths,
i ju ies
a d
a ests
epo ted
du i g
p otests
i
PoK,
whe e
demo st ato s
have
aised
dema ds
li ked
to
democ atic
ights
a d
gove a ce.

Reflecti g
o
the
situatio ,
Abdullah
i voked
a
ph ase
associated
with
ea lie
ge e atio s
of
Kashmi is:
‘hamlava
khaba da ,
hum
Kashmi i
hai
tayya ‘
(attacke s
bewa e,
we
Kashmi is
a e
p epa ed).

The
Chief
Mi iste
a gued
that
the
political
situatio
could
have
bee
diffe e t
had
Jammu
a d
Kashmi ‘s
statehood
a d
special
co stitutio al
status
ot
bee
withd aw
i
2019.

He
said,
“We
have
kept
seats
vaca t
i
the
Assembly
fo
the
othe
side
i
the
hope
that
someday
these
will
be
filled.”

Abdullah
was
efe i g
to
the
possibility
of
ep ese tatives
f om
Pakista -admi iste ed
a eas
eve tually
occupyi g
seats
ese ved
fo
them
i
the
Jammu
a d
Kashmi
Legislative
Assembly.

T ibute
To
Sheikh
Mohammad
Abdullah

The
Chief
Mi iste
also
ecalled
the
ole
played
by
his
g a dfathe ,
Sheikh
Mohammad
Abdullah,
du i g
the
eve ts
of
1947.

Sheikh
Mohammad
Abdullah,
who
became
the
fi st
P ime
Mi iste
of
Jammu
a d
Kashmi ,
had
mobilised
people
to
esist
the
t ibal
i vasio
f om
Pakista .
Oma
Abdullah
highlighted
his
g a dfathe ‘s
ole
i
defe di g
the
egio
du i g
the
co flict,
i cludi g
the
pe iod
befo e
I dia
t oops
a ived.

The
efe e ce
li ked
the
Chief
Mi iste ‘s
p ese t-day
political
a gume t
ove
Jammu
a d
Kashmi ‘s
status
with
his
family’s
histo ical
associatio
with
the
egio ‘s
political
moveme t.

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I depe de ce
Day
Eve t
Fo
Seco d
Yea
I
A
Row

BJP
Accuses
Oma
Abdullah
Of
Politicisi g
I-Day

Abdullah’s
ema ks
d ew
c iticism
f om
the
Bha atiya
Ja ata
Pa ty,
with
J&K
Assembly
Leade
of
Oppositio
Su il
Sha ma
desc ibi g
them
as
i app op iate
fo
a
I depe de ce
Day
add ess.

Sha ma
a gued
that
the
occasio
should
have
bee
used
to
discuss
the
gove me t’s
pe fo ma ce
a d
its
pla s
fo
Jammu
a d
Kashmi
athe
tha
focusi g
o
political
issues.

The
BJP
leade
te med
Abdullah’s
comme ts
“i espo sible”
a d
c iticised
the
Chief
Mi iste
fo
usi g
a
atio al
occasio
to
aise
co te tious
political
matte s.

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