Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday announced that his government will launch a door-to-door signature campaign to mount pressure on the Union Government to restore statehood to the Union Territory.
Addressing the 79th Independence Day gathering at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar, Omar Abdullah said his focus on the restoration of statehood stems from his belief that it is the first step towards ensuring prosperity and progress in Jammu and Kashmir.
"I will not stop pressing for statehood. It is an issue that concerns every single person here," he said.
Omar Abdullah stated that the campaign will reach every constituency to gather people's signatures in support of the demand for the restoration of statehood.
Marking his first Independence Day address from Bakshi Stadium in over a decade, he reflected on the seismic political changes since he last spoke from the same platform.
"It has been 11 years since I addressed the people of Jammu & Kashmir from this stage. Back then, we had our own identity, our own special status, our own flag, and our own constitution. Today, none of that remains. Even the status of being a State is no longer ours," he said.
Announcing a people's movement in light of the Supreme Court's eight-week timeframe to hear the statehood case again, he declared:
"We will not sit idle. Over the next eight weeks, we will reach all 90 Assembly constituencies, every village, every home — collecting signatures and thumb impressions from people to ask whether they want J&K to be a State again.
If the people say they are satisfied with the current situation, I will accept defeat. But my heart tells me we will collect hundreds of thousands of signatures to present before the Central Government and the Supreme Court."
The Chief Minister also questioned the delay in the return of democracy to J&K and the unfulfilled expectations of announcements from New Delhi.
"Some of our friends and relatives kept saying there would be an announcement from Delhi this year. We waited. It did not happen.
The truth is, the ray of light I often spoke about has dimmed slightly — but I am still not ready to give up or accept that nothing will change," he asserted.
He further questioned whether the stated objective of fully integrating J&K with the rest of the country had truly been achieved:
"Has equality come? Are we really equal to the rest of the country? Have we really progressed? If yes, I will remain silent. But if not, then tell me — what was our fault that we find ourselves here today?"
"I Do Not Want Anyone to Be CM of a Union Territory"
Sharing his personal experience of having led both a State and now a Union Territory, Omar Abdullah was candid in his critique:
"I do not want anyone to be the Chief Minister of a Union Territory. This system of governance looks good on paper but fails in reality. It is a governance structure designed for failure."
He expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court's observations and the Pahalgam incident being cited as a reason to delay the restoration of statehood.
He added that the restoration of statehood must be the first step in rebuilding a stronger J&K and emphasized the need for bureaucratic accountability to elected representatives.
"No one should aspire to become the Chief Minister of a Union Territory. People may ask why we participate in the electoral process of a UT, but I didn't know it would be made so difficult. The situation has come to such a pass that Cabinet decisions are stopped and not even issued. What can an elected government do if its hands are tied?"
He likened the current administrative setup to "tying a horse's front legs and then asking it to run," citing repeated instances of Cabinet decisions being stalled, altered, or left unapproved.
Mourning the Loss in Kishtwar
Beginning his speech on a somber note, the Chief Minister extended heartfelt condolences to the families affected by the recent cloudburst in Kishtwar.
"As we celebrate Independence Day, we also mourn the loss of precious lives in the Kishtwar cloudburst.
I want to tell the people of Kishtwar and all those affected — my government stands with them shoulder-to-shoulder. We will provide all necessary support.
We must also examine whether the administration could have acted more proactively, given the advanced weather warning. In the coming days, we will fix responsibility for any lapses," he said.
Highlighting Government Achievements
Despite the challenges, Omar Abdullah highlighted several achievements of his government over the past ten months:
- Passed a resolution in the J&K Assembly to restore special status and statehood
- Cabinet approval for statehood restoration
- Budgetary decisions benefiting education, health, social welfare, transport, tourism, and agriculture
- Quick restoration of electricity during winter outages
- Expansion of the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP)
- Launch of "Mission Yuva" to create employment opportunities for 4–4.5 lakh youth
- Increased MLAs' Constituency Development Fund to empower elected representatives
He stressed the urgent need to restore the "triple chain of accountability" as envisioned by the Supreme Court — where bureaucracy is accountable to the elected government, and the elected government to the Assembly.
Don't Let Pahalgam Attack Decide Our Future
Expressing dismay over the linking of statehood restoration with security incidents, he said:
"We are being punished for the Pahalgam attack — an attack that the people of J&K themselves condemned, from Kathua to Kupwara.
Statehood should not be decided by those behind Pahalgam. Is this justice?"
He reminded that under previous elected governments, militancy-related incidents had consistently declined and that elected leadership had proven its ability to maintain peace.
"Trust us once — we did not fail before, and God willing, we will not fail in the future," he concluded.
