Suliman Saith
Srinagar, Aug 08 (BuzzBytes): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed deep disappointment over the delay in restoration of statehood, saying the issue has not only deepened public anger and frustration against the Centre but has also cost him personally, and that he has lost a large part of his political capital because of the delay.
In an interview, Omar Abdullah said his initial strategy of building constructive and better relations with the Union government for an early restoration of statehood had severely damaged his political credibility in Jammu and Kashmir. He said he had staked a large part of his political credibility on the hope that statehood would be restored, and that he was fully aware that a significant part of that credibility had been eroded in the process.
“I will pay the price for sins that are not mine, and I will carry this burden once again because carrying it is my responsibility,” Omar Abdullah said.
Criticising the Centre’s vague promise of restoring statehood at an “appropriate time”, Omar Abdullah likened the process to a target that keeps being pushed further away. He said it was like running a marathon where the finish line is moved further ahead every time one approaches it. He urged the Centre to set clear benchmarks and a firm target for restoration of statehood so that his government knows in which direction it has to move.
The Chief Minister also rejected the argument that statehood cannot be restored until terrorism is completely eliminated in Jammu and Kashmir. He said the security apparatus in the Union Territory is not under the control of his elected government. Omar Abdullah said that as a result of this argument, an elected government that has no authority over the security apparatus is being punished. According to him, militancy in Jammu and Kashmir does not exist because of an elected government, and his government has no role in the present counter-terrorism apparatus.
He said that if restoration of statehood were linked to an end to Pakistan’s support for terrorism, it would mean that the decision on restoring statehood had been transferred from New Delhi to Islamabad.
Omar Abdullah also strongly criticised the present administrative structure of the Union Territory, calling the UT-with-assembly arrangement defective. He said key institutions in Jammu and Kashmir still fall within the jurisdiction of the Lieutenant Governor. According to him, the powers of the elected government are limited even with regard to institutions such as the Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation and the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences.
The Chief Minister said his cabinet does not have full authority even in matters such as the selection of its administrative secretaries or the appointment of the Advocate General. He said that if the region has to be kept a Union Territory at all, it should be kept without an assembly, because in his view a Union Territory with an assembly is the worst form of governance.
Rejecting criticism of an alleged softening in his position on Article 370, Omar Abdullah said statehood is the basic legal precondition for any division of constitutional powers. He said Article 370 was fundamentally about the division of powers between the Centre and the state government, and that until Jammu and Kashmir has statehood, there can be no meaningful discussion of State List powers. Omar Abdullah said that in his view the restoration of statehood is necessary before the restoration of Article 370.
Referring to the Union government’s promise to restore statehood, the Chief Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had himself endorsed this commitment during his visits to Jammu and Kashmir. He said the Prime Minister had not presented the promise merely as a routine political assurance but had described it as “Modi’s guarantee”. According to him, when the Prime Minister has tied his personal credibility to the promise, its significance grows even greater.
Omar Abdullah said the continued delay in implementing the promise is raising questions about the Union government’s accountability. He urged the Centre to fulfil the commitments made to Parliament, the judiciary and the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Omar Abdullah acknowledged that the strategy of building constructive relations by trusting the Union government’s assurances had harmed him politically, but he said the demand for restoration of statehood would not be abandoned. He said his government would continue to pursue political dialogue for restoration of statehood alongside street protests and demonstrations in the national capital, New Delhi.
The Chief Minister said public frustration over the statehood issue in Jammu and Kashmir is evident, and the Centre must now take a clear position on the matter and fulfil its promises—(BuzzBytes)
