Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Aug 15
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Saturday that unrest and protests across the Line of Control had reinforced his belief that the region’s decision to accede to India in 1947 was the correct one, while renewing his demand for restoration of statehood and constitutional guarantees.
Speaking at the main Independence Day ceremony at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar, Omar referred to developments in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and said they had prompted him to reflect on the choice made by Jammu and Kashmir’s leadership 80 years ago.
“When I see the situation across the border and the Line of Control, I realise that our ancestors who said ‘hamlavar khabardar, hum Kashmiri hain tayyar’ were right,” Omar said.
He said that the decision taken by the region’s leaders in 1947 had been the right one.
The chief minister recalled the resistance mounted by local people against the Pakistan-backed tribal invasion of 1947 and paid tribute to National Conference founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and volunteers who fought to defend Jammu and Kashmir.
He said thousands had sacrificed their lives before the arrival of the Indian Army and argued that their contribution should not be forgotten.
Omar also spoke about people living across the LoC in PoK, saying India considered them its own people.
He pointed to seats reserved in the J&K Legislative Assembly for representatives from that territory, saying the seats remained vacant in the expectation that representatives from the region could one day occupy them.
“If our situation had not been altered in 2019, the people of that part of J&K across the LoC would have been protesting to reunite with us,” he said.
The chief minister connected the developments across the LoC to his government’s political campaign for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and the constitutional guarantees that were changed after the August 2019 decisions.
He said restoring J&K’s constitutional position was necessary not only for the region but also for strengthening India’s federal structure.
“Our country is a union of states. To save and strengthen federalism, we must start with Jammu and Kashmir,” Omar said, arguing that what had been taken away from the region should be returned.
He said his administration would continue to seek restoration of statehood and constitutional guarantees and would work to honour the sacrifices of those who had fought for the region’s future.
Omar also criticised what he described as growing interference by central agencies in matters falling within the domain of states.
“When central agencies start interfering in the affairs of states, federalism suffers,” he said, adding that the erosion of state powers could eventually produce public unrest.
He cited education and health as areas where he believed the federal balance had shifted.
Omar criticised the expansion of national-level entrance examinations, including NEET and JEE, arguing that states should retain the ability to conduct examinations for institutions under their jurisdiction even if national examinations remained appropriate for national institutions.
The chief minister also addressed concerns over recruitment examinations in J&K, saying allegations of fraud and irregularities had driven young people onto the streets.
He said public recruitment required a high degree of credibility because young people’s futures depended on it.
“The truth is that destroying credibility from a thing or a system is a matter of minutes, but re-establishing credibility takes years,” he said.
Omar promised transparent, merit-based recruitment and more responsive governance, saying his administration would seek to create greater opportunities for young people.
He also outlined what he saw as the respective responsibilities of government, the Opposition and the media in a democracy.
“The government’s job is to work; the opposition’s job is to make the government accountable – both inside the assembly and outside; and the media’s job is to make both accountable,” he said.
The chief minister said his government would combine its political agenda with development efforts and continue working towards a stronger, more prosperous Jammu and Kashmir.
He said restoration of statehood, constitutional guarantees and the region’s political aspirations would remain central to his administration’s agenda, linking those demands to broader principles of democracy and federalism.
