Srinagar, Aug 15: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday pitched for restoration of powers “snatched” from the Union Territory and strengthening of federalism, while asserting that the people across the Line of Control “are ours.”
Addressing the Independence Day function at Bakshi Stadium here, CM Omar as per Kashmir Convener invoked the legacy of his grandfather and Jammu and Kashmir’s iconic leader Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, saying the occasion would be “incomplete” without remembering the ‘Baba-e-Qaum’.
“Whatever was snatched from us should be returned to us, so that this federalism, this identity, is not just in words but made practical,” the Chief Minister said.
He said to strengthen federalism, “we should start with Jammu and Kashmir.”
CM Omar described democracy and federalism as the country’s “two biggest strengths” and warned that federalism was being harmed when central agencies interfered in state affairs.
“When central agencies start interfering in the affairs of states, when the powers of states are eroded and made hollow, federalism is harmed,” he said. “And we often see the result of this on the streets.”
Referring to protests by youth in Delhi, he said the agitations at Jantar Mantar were a “result of this.”
The Chief Minister also took exception to the centralisation of education, arguing that while national exams were justified for central institutions, state educational institutions should have the right to conduct their own admissions.
“For national institutions like IITs and IIMs, national exams are absolutely justified. But state institutions should have their own right to give exams and admission there,” he said. “That right was taken away from states.”
On the issue of recruitment processes in Jammu and Kashmir that had earlier triggered street protests, Omar Abdullah said: “To lose trust in a system takes minutes; to regain it takes years.”
He stressed the need for transparent and merit-based admission and recruitment systems. “Only those who truly deserve a seat or a job should feel they have a right to it,” he said.
Paying tributes to Sheikh Abdullah, the Chief Minister recalled how Kashmiris had fought tribal invaders even before the Indian Army arrived in the region.
“Before the army of India reached here, there were people of Jammu and Kashmir who fought against the tribes, who fought against the enemies sent from across the border,” he said.
“Those who had weapons used them; those who did not showed fake guns and fought the intruders. In thousands, brave people sacrificed their lives here.”
Referring to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, CM Omar said: “That part of Jammu and Kashmir is ours. We consider those people as our own, not strangers.”
He noted that the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly still keeps seats reserved for people from PoK. “Even today, in the Assembly, seats are kept for them, with the hope that one day those people will be able to use these empty seats.”
The Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said the situation across the LOC reinforced that the decision taken 80 years ago to accede to India was the “right decision.”
“When I see the situation across the border and across the LOC today, I realise that 80 years ago, the decision our leaders took for us was the right decision,” he said. “The sacrifices they made were right.”
He expressed concern over the plight of PoK and said: “Today, when we see the state of that part of Jammu and Kashmir across the LOC, it is sad, it is regretful, we are worried.”
The Chief Minister added: “I realise that if our situation had not changed in 2019, the people of that part of Jammu and Kashmir would have been eager to reunite with us.”
The Chief minister also called for introspection on whether India had lived up to the vision of its freedom fighters.
“The India that 80 years ago these brave people fought to make, sacrificed their lives for—have we really established that India?” he asked. “If not, then what is left to do? Maybe after 80 years of freedom, this is a good opportunity for us to think about it and do what is right for the future.”
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