Will Pahalgam killers decide whether J&K will be a state, asks CM

In a hard hitting Independence Day speech, Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday strongly criticised the practice of linking Jammu and Kashmir’s political future to acts of terror, asserting that Pakistan cannot be allowed to influence decisions on the region’s statehood through terrorism. Abdullah’s remarks, in his first speech after becoming the chief minister since Jammu and Kashmir was downgraded from a state to a union territory, came a day after a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India B R Gavai observed that the “ground situation” in the region must be weighed before restoring its statehood, stressing that “incidents like Pahalgam” cannot be ignored.

Terming the reference to Pahalgam “unfortunate”, the CM said, “Will the killers of Pahalgam and their masters in the neighbouring country (Pakistan) decide whether we will be a state?” “Every time we are close to statehood, they will do something to sabotage it. Is this fair? Why are we being punished for a crime in which we had no role?” The chief minister said the people of Jammu and Kashmir themselves stood against the attack, with protests erupting “from Kathua to Kupwara”. “Unfortunately, today we are being punished for the Pahalgam attack,” he added. Abdullah further said he will launch a massive signature campaign to press the demand for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir during the eight weeks’ time given by the Supreme Court to the Centre to respond to the plea before it. Abdullah, however, said he is confident that he and his colleagues will achieve the goal of getting signatures in support of the demand for statehood.The Independence Day celebrations were held at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar.