Omar says his governance severely undermined by New Delhi’s control
Srinagar: The Chief Minister of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, has said that his administration’s functioning is being severely undermined by New Delhi’s control over key governance and administrative powers, leaving the elected government with little authority in the occupied territory.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in an interview with the Hindustan Times, Omar Abdullah decried what he termed a “lopsided distribution of powers” between the elected government and the office of the Lieutenant Governor, remarking that when a government cannot even choose its own officers, “it’s not a pretty picture.”
He said the Raj Bhawan’s hold over appointments, transfers, and disciplinary matters of IAS, IPS, and JKAS officers has crippled governance and eroded the authority of the elected administration.
The National Conference leader pointed out that officers have been arbitrarily transferred to Ladakh “as punishment” for following the elected government’s directives, adding that even his own office was threatened with such actions. He also criticised the manipulation of administrative structures to keep departments like the Information Department out of the purview of the elected dispensation.
Omar Abdullah expressed frustration over the delay in restoring Kashmir’s statehood, calling it a “sovereign promise made to Indian Parliament and the Supreme Court” that remains unfulfilled. He said the process, which was supposed to include delimitation, elections, and then the return of statehood, has been deliberately prolonged under vague assurances of “an appropriate time.”
He warned that continued disenfranchisement and arbitrary governance could deepen public disillusionment in the occupied territory, stressing that statehood must be restored to reflect the will of the people.
