Srinagar, Aug 15: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said the situation across the Line of Control had reinforced his belief that the decision taken 80 years ago to accede to India was the “right decision”, while asserting that the people living across the LoC are “ours”.
Addressing the Independence Day function at Bakshi Stadium here, Omar expressed concern over the situation in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK), saying the condition of people there was “sad” and “regretful”.
“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. The sacrifices they made were right,” he said.
Referring to PoK, the Chief Minister said, “That part of Jammu and Kashmir is ours. We consider those people as our own, not strangers.”
He pointed out that seats continue to be reserved in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for representatives from PoK, expressing hope that one day those vacant seats would be occupied.
“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,” he said.
Omar further said that had the situation in Jammu and Kashmir not changed in 2019, people across the LoC would have been eager to reunite with those on this side.
“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,” he said.
Shifting focus to governance and federalism, the Chief Minister called for restoration of powers he said had been “snatched” from Jammu and Kashmir, arguing that federalism and the region’s identity should be reflected in practice rather than merely in words.
“Whatever was snatched from us should be returned to us, so that this federalism, this identity, is not just in words but made practical,” Omar said.
He described democracy and federalism as the country’s “two biggest strengths” and cautioned that federalism was weakened when central agencies interfered in the affairs of states and their powers were eroded.
The Chief Minister also opposed excessive centralisation in education, saying national examinations were justified for institutions such as IITs and IIMs, but state institutions should retain the right to conduct their own examinations and admissions.
On recruitment in Jammu and Kashmir, Omar stressed the need for transparent and merit-based systems, saying restoring public confidence in institutions was essential.
“To lose trust in a system takes minutes; to regain it takes years,” he said.
He also paid tribute to those who fought tribal invaders in 1947, recalling that people of Jammu and Kashmir resisted the attackers even before the Indian Army reached 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, adding that thousands of people sacrificed their lives.
Invoking the legacy of his grandfather and leader Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, Omar said the Independence Day occasion would be incomplete without remembering the “Baba-e-Qaum.”
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