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| At a press conference, Omar Abdullah is raising the demand for the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir—speaking in a forceful manner in front of a microphone. |
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has once again raised the demand for restoring statehood to Kashmir. After the election results were announced, he has now directly urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take action on the issue. After the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, Jammu and Kashmir became a Union Territory. Leaders in the valley, including Omar, have repeatedly raised their voices against that decision.
Omar said, "We have not forgotten Article 370, nor will we. Now is the right time to restore the statehood by respecting the verdict of the people." He also said that the elections have proven that the people of the valley now believe in the democratic process and want to peacefully regain their rights.
After a good performance in the assembly elections, the possible alliance government of the National Conference and the Congress has also sent a similar message. The proposed government has said that restoring statehood will be the first formal proposal of the new government. However, the BJP camp has termed this demand as a tactic to create political pressure.
Meanwhile, referring to the recent terrorist attacks in Kashmir, Omar said, “We do not play such cheap politics that we will try to take political advantage in the context of bloodshed. But the issue of statehood is very important for the future of Kashmir.”
At the heart of this debate are Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution. These legal frameworks once gave Kashmir a different status from other states of India. Now the demand to restore it is getting stronger day by day. However, when and how the central government will consider this demand is still uncertain.
6 June 2025
Author: Kazi Fahsin
Publisher: Novokanth (Novonicle)
