Omar Abdullah-led J&K Cabinet passes resolution to restore statehood

The National Conference, having won 42 seats in the recent J&K Assembly elections, drafted the resolution, which Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will present to Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi

During its first cabinet meeting on Thursday, the Jammu and Kashmir government led by Omar Abdullah passed a resolution calling on the National Democratic Alliance-led central government to restore statehood for Jammu and Kashmir.

The resolution was drafted by the National Conference, which secured 42 seats in the recent 2024 J&K elections. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is expected to visit New Delhi to present the resolution draft to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 

In response to the Cabinet’s decision, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MLA Waheed Para said on X (formerly Twitter), “Omar Abdullah’s first resolution on statehood is nothing less than ratification of the August 5, 2019 decision. No resolution on Article 370 and scaling down the demand to mere statehood is a huge setback, especially after seeking votes on the promise of restoring Article 370.”
 

On the same day, a petition seeking a timely restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir was brought before the Supreme Court for urgent consideration, and the court agreed to hear the case. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the petitioners, requested an expedited hearing before a bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.

Last year in December, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the revocation of Article 370, which had granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, on August 5, 2019. The court also instructed that Assembly elections should be conducted by September 2024 and stressed that the state’s status should be restored “at the earliest”.

After the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the J&K polls, Omar Abdullah said that the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly would prioritise passing a resolution opposing the Centre’s move to revoke the region’s statehood and special status.

The 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls were conducted in three phases from September 18 to October 1, resulting in a government formed by the National Conference-Congress alliance.

Before his swearing-in ceremony, Abdullah said that his government’s first task would be to represent the voice of the people. He expressed hope that Jammu and Kashmir would not remain a Union Territory for long and it would soon regain full statehood.