Srinagar, Aug 14: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said the campaign for restoration of statehood was only at its beginning, asserting that he would continue to raise the issue until the Centre fulfils its commitment.
Speaking to reporters, CM Omar said the protest at Jantar Mantar was “not the end of the story” but only the beginning of efforts for restoration of statehood.
“This is not the end. This is just the start of the restoration,” he said.
Asked about reports of a possible long march over the statehood issue, Abdullah said several options were being considered and any decision would be discussed internally before being finalised.
“There are many options. Now, apparently, I hear my party is planning a long march. That’s a good thing. It’s not a wrong thing,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the country needed to remember the commitment made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
“The country needs to remember that we were promised. And it wasn’t a normal promise. It was a promise of Modi,” Abdullah said.
Describing it as a “super promise”, he questioned why the commitment had not yet been fulfilled.
“Why hasn’t this super promise been fulfilled yet? We are not getting an answer to this,” he said.
Abdullah said he would continue to raise the issue and would not remain silent on the demand for restoration of statehood.
“We will keep discussing this topic again and again. Neither will I remain silent on this topic. We will keep talking,” he said.
‘Our blood has been sucked’: Omar on Indus Waters Treaty
On the Indus Waters Treaty, Abdullah said Jammu and Kashmir had suffered because of restrictions imposed under the agreement and asserted that the region should have the first right over its river waters.
“This is our blood that has been sucked. These are our rivers. We had the first right to this,” he said.
Questioning Pakistan’s claims of sympathy towards Kashmiris, Abdullah said such sympathy disappeared when it came to water resources.
“Pakistanis say that they are very sympathetic to Kashmiris. But when it comes to water, their sympathy disappears,” he said.
He said Jammu and Kashmir had faced restrictions on the use of its rivers, including the Chenab, and was unable to undertake certain projects for power generation and navigation.
“We could not get drinking water from Chenab. We could not make a dam on Tulbul and use it for navigation. We could not make a big dam on any of our rivers and stop the water,” he said.
Abdullah said the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty should allow Jammu and Kashmir to make greater use of its water resources.
Omar condemns attack on Sukhbir Badal
At the end of his interaction, Abdullah strongly condemned the attack on Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, saying there was no place for violence in a democracy.
“There is no need for such things in a democracy. If you are angry with someone, you can express your anger in an election. Attacking is very dangerous for a democracy,” he said.
Questioning the security arrangements for Badal, who has Z-plus security, Abdullah asked, “But where is the Z-plus?”
He said Badal was injured in the latest attack and had to be shifted to a hospital for treatment. (KNO)
