J&K has every right to be state: CM Omar

Srinagar, Aug 15: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Friday called for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.

Hoisting the tricolour at the Bakshi Stadium here and delivering an address to the people of Jammu and Kashmir on the occasion of the 79th Independence Day, CM Omar called for unity, justice, and restoration of the state’s constitutional status.

Opening his speech on a solemn note, the Chief Minister extended heartfelt condolences to the families affected in Kishtwar due to cloudburst tragedy.

“As we celebrate our Independence Day, at the same time we mourn the loss of precious lives in the cloudburst at Kishtwar. I want to tell the people of Kishtwar and those affected by this calamity — my government stands with them shoulder-to-shoulder and the government will support them. We must also see whether the administration could have been proactive and done more to save these precious lives because there was advance weather advisory. In the coming days, we shall fix the responsibility for any lapses,” he said.

Marking his first Independence Day address from the Bakshi Stadium in over a decade, CM Omar reflected on the seismic political changes since he last addressed the state from this platform.

“It has been 11 years since I have addressed the people of J&K from this stage. Back then, we had our own identity, our own special status, our own flag, and our own constitution. Today, none of that remains. Even the status of being a state is not ours anymore,” he said.

The CM questioned the prolonged wait for democracy’s return to J&K and the unfulfilled hopes of meaningful announcements from New Delhi.

“Some of our friends and relatives kept telling me that this year there would be an announcement from Delhi. We waited. It did not happen. The truth is, the ray of light I often spoke about has dimmed slightly but I am still not ready to give up or accept that nothing will change,” he said.

CM Omar asked whether the stated objective of integrating J&K fully and equally with the rest of the country had truly been achieved.

“Has equality come? Are we really equal to the rest of the country? Have we really improved? If yes, I will remain silent. But if not, tell me what was our fault that we find ourselves here today,” he said.

Sharing his personal experience of leading both a state and now a union territory, the CM said, “I do not want anyone to be the Chief Minister of a union territory. This system of governance looks good on paper but fails in reality. It is a governance structure designed for failure.”

He said that he was disappointed with observations made by the Supreme Court bench and the Pahalgam incident being used as an excuse to delay statehood.

CM Omar said that restoration of statehood should be the first step to build a strong J&K.

“There should not be a situation where bureaucracy is not accountable to the elected government,” he said.

The CM said that no one should aspire to become CM of a union territory.

“People will ask why you took part in the electoral process of a union territory but I didn’t know it would be so difficult. The situation has come to such a pass that cabinet decisions are stopped and not issued. What will the elected government do if its hands are tied,” he said.

CM Omar likened the functioning of the current administration to “tying a horse’s front legs and then asking it to run,” citing instances where cabinet decisions were stalled, altered, or left unapproved.

Despite these hurdles, he outlined achievements over the past 10 months, including passing a resolution in the J&K Assembly to restore special status and statehood; cabinet approval for statehood restoration; budgetary decisions benefiting education, health, social welfare, transport, tourism, and agriculture; quick restoration of electricity during winter outages; expansion of the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP); launch of ‘Mission Yuva’ to create livelihoods for 4 to 4.5 lakh youth and increasing Constituency Development Fund (CDF) of the Members of Legislative Assembly to empower elected representatives.

The CM stressed the urgent need to restore the “triple chain of accountability” envisioned by the Supreme Court, ensuring bureaucracy is answerable to the elected government and elected government to the Assembly.

Expressing dismay over linking of statehood restoration to security incidents, he said: “We are being punished for the Pahalgam attack, an attack the people of J&K themselves condemned from Kathua to Kupwara. Statehood should not be decided by those behind Pahalgam. Is this justice?”

CM Omar said that during previous elected governments, militancy-related incidents consistently declined and that elected leadership had proven its capability to maintain peace.

“Trust us once — we did not fail before, and God willing, we will not fail in the future,” he said.

Declaring a people’s movement in response to the Supreme Court’s eight-week timeframe for hearing the statehood case again, the CM announced: “We will not sit idle. Over the next eight weeks, we will reach all 90 assembly constituencies, every village, every home, gathering signatures and thumb impressions from people on whether they want J&K to be a state again. If the people say they are satisfied with the current situation, I will accept defeat. But my heart tells me we will gather hundreds of thousands of signatures to present before the central government and the Supreme Court.”

Appealing to reclaim the inclusive and equal India envisioned by the freedom fighters, he said, “We have to get the India for which Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad, Subhash Chandra Bose, and countless others sacrificed their lives, an India where equality, brotherhood, and the right to participate in the democratic struggle are guaranteed for all.”

CM Omar also inspected the parade and took salute at an impressive march past of the contingents comprising of J&K Police, security forces, school students, besides Brass and Pipe bands of J&K Police and school students.

In light of the calamity that struck Kishtwar village, he decided to forgo the cultural events scheduled for the morning Independence Day celebrations.

Shabir Ibn Yusuf add to the report

In one of his strongest remarks yet on the continued delay in restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, CM Omar criticised the dual governance structure imposed on the union territory, calling it a “system designed for failure, not success.”

Announcing the launch of a signature campaign demanding the return of statehood to J&K, he highlighted mounting frustration over broken promises and said he was beginning to lose hope despite repeated assurances from the Centre.

“I didn’t know governance would be this difficult,” the CM said, referring to the interference and delays in implementing cabinet decisions.

He also addressed recent comments by the Supreme Court during its hearing on a petition seeking restoration of statehood.

Criticising the use of the Pahalgam attack as justification for delaying statehood, CM Omar said, “Pakistan was punished for three-four days under Operation Sindoor. But the people of J&K, who condemned the attack, are still being punished. How long will this continue?”

He also expressed his disappointment over expectations of a significant announcement from Delhi on August 15.

“I have been mocked for advocating good relations with Delhi. But it takes two hands to clap,” the CM said.

“It’s time to leave our offices and homes, and raise our voices directly at the doors where decisions are made. We have tried letters and meetings. Now we will take our message to every village in J&K and to Delhi,” he said.

CM Omar said that he had paid a political price for placing his trust in the country’s democracy and the Central government to restore J&K’s rights, including statehood.

“Perhaps, I have paid a political price for that,” he said.

Addressing recent speculation that the Central government might announce the return of statehood around this Independence Day, the CM said that while he had kept his expectations low, he was repeatedly told that preparations had been completed and only the announcement remained.

“I didn’t have high hopes, but I was constantly told that the paperwork was done and the announcement was imminent. But that never happened. The ray of hope is fading, but we will not give up,” he said.

“It would be unfair to say that we’ve done nothing in these 10 months,” CM Omar said.

“This government has focused on making the best possible use of the powers granted to us, to ensure that people benefit,” he said.

The CM stressed the urgent need to restore the “triple chain of accountability” – bureaucracy answerable to elected government, elected government to the Assembly – and reiterated that no one should aspire to be a CM of a union territory.

He also paid floral tributes at the Balidan Stambh in Srinagar.

CM Omar laid a wreath at the memorial and observed a moment of silence as a mark of respect for those who laid down their lives in the service of the nation.

Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, ADGP Headquarters, senior officers, security personnel, and others were also present on the occasion.