Omar Abdullah taking oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, in Srinagar.
Credit: PTI Photo
Srinagar: In a significant political development, the Jammu and Kashmir cabinet has passed a resolution calling for the restoration of statehood during its first meeting under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The resolution, drafted by Abdullah, urges the Central government to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest, sources told DH. Newly elected CM Abdullah is scheduled to travel to Delhi in the coming days to formally present the resolution to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The meeting was presided over by the Chief Minister and was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and ministers Sakeena Itoo, Javed Ahmad Rana, Javaid Ahmad Dar and Satish Sharma.
The restoration of statehood has been a long-standing demand in Jammu and Kashmir, following its reorganization in 2019 when it was downgraded to a Union Territory (UT).
Congress, alliance partner of the NC, didn’t join Abdullah’s cabinet making restoration of statehood as a condition to do so. NC president, Farooq Abdullah has expressed confidence that the Centre would soon restore Statehood to J&K.
Interestingly, the passing of this resolution was not made public, contrasting with other decisions announced during the cabinet’s initial meeting. The lack of transparency surrounding this key resolution has raised questions and speculation among political observers and local stakeholders.
Opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader and MLA, Waheed-ur-Rehamn Parra while criticizing passing of resolution on statehood, called it a ratification of the August 5, 2019 decision that revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status.
Parra said the resolution, which focuses solely on the demand for restoration of statehood, represents a significant shift from earlier positions, particularly the promise to restore Article 370.
Earlier, on December 11, 2023, the Supreme Court had unanimously upheld the revocation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. In addition, the apex court had also directed for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections to be held by September 2024, highlighting that Jammu and Kashmir's statehood be restored at the ‘earliest.’