'Will Pahalgam killers, their masters decide?': J&K CM Omar Abdullah on restoration of statehood
'Time has come that we have to move out from our offices and take our voices to the doors where these decisions are being taken,' Omar said in his Independence Day address at Bakshi Stadium, Srinagar.
It was the first Independence Day address in the Union Territory by an elected Chief Minister since Jammu and Kashmir was downgraded from a state to a union territory.
Abdullah's remarks came a day after a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India B R Gavai observed that the 'ground situation' in the region must be weighed before restoring its statehood, stressing that 'incidents like Pahalgam' could not be ignored.
The Chief Minister expressed disappointment over the remarks, terming the reference to Pahalgam 'unfortunate'.
'Will the killers of Pahalgam and their masters in the neighbouring country (Pakistan) decide whether we will be a state? Every time we are close to statehood, they will do something to sabotage it. Is this fair? Why are we being punished for a crime in which we had no role?' he said.
Pakistani terrorists allegedly killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists, in the Baisaran meadow in south Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22.
'My question is – if J&K is again to become a state, can our government not make such a decision? And for J&K again becoming a state, will this decision not be taken by the Supreme Court? For J&K to again have statehood, would it be decided by killers who perpetrated the Pahalgam attack or will it be decided by our neighbouring country, which is behind the militancy?' Omar asked.
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