Jammu: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday questioned the Centre’s stance on territorial issues, emphasizing that if one part of J&K is reclaimed from Pakistan, the other part under China should also be taken back.
He also criticized the revocation of J&K’s statehood, highlighting the Maharaja’s legacy and announced that business rules for the Assembly had been finalized and sent to the Lieutenant Governor for approval.
CM Omar Abdullah in his address in assembly as per news agency JKNS, began by thanking the LG for his address to the Assembly on March 3, stating, “In his speech, the LG tried to convey the government’s intentions—what has been done and what is yet to be done was discussed here.”
Addressing the opposition, Omar remarked, “Local governments, whether NC, PDP, or Congress, never changed the names of hospitals, roads, or schools. SMGS Hospital remains the same, SMHS is still named as it was, and Shri Pratap Park has not been altered while strongly questioned the changes made to J&K’s status, the status that was given by Maharaja.
Omar said, “The biggest legacy of Maharaja Hari Singh was the state of Jammu and Kashmir. He handed over that legacy to us. What have you done to that state?” While pointing towards opposition benches, he said, “You haven’t done it; the Centre did it. The Maharaja left us with a complete map of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Touching on the external territorial situation, he said, “Today, one part of Jammu and Kashmir is with Pakistan. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister has openly said they will take back their part of Kashmir. Did we ever stop them? If the Central government can take it back, then do it now.”
He further questioned, “One part of Kashmir is with Pakistan, but another is with China—why doesn’t anyone talk about that? If one day you get the part from Pakistan, then get the other part from China too,” he said, prompting his party members and some opposition legislators to beat tables in agreement.
Omar continued, “The Maharaja’s legacy also protected our land and jobs, but even that has been taken away from us.”
Omar said, “Rules have been framed and sent to the Lieutenant Governor for approval to ensure smooth governance without confusion.”
“Until we regain statehood, it is necessary to establish business rules for clarity. It took some time, but yesterday at 8 PM, we convened a cabinet meeting and finalized the business rules. They were approved by our cabinet,” he said in reply to the Motion of Thanks.
He added that the rules have been submitted to the LG for approval, saying, “We hope they will be approved soon.”
Asserting that this step will bring stability, Omar said, “As long as this system is in place, it should function smoothly without any confusion. While I consider it a temporary arrangement, implementing business rules is necessary to minimize disorder.” (JKNS)
