Don’t trust Modi govt’s verbal promises, seek written guarantees: Omar Abdullah to Ladakh leaders
Cites unfulfilled promise to restore statehood to IIOJK
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has cautioned political leaders in Ladakh against relying on verbal assurances from the BJP-led Indian government, urging them to seek written and signed commitments on their demands.
According to Kashmir Media Service, speaking to journalists after a meeting in Pulwama, Omar Abdullah said that he was offering leaders from Kargil and Leh advice based on his own experience.
“I can only advise the leaders of Ladakh, as a friend and elder brother: please do not believe any promise made by the central government unless it is given to you in writing and signed,” he said.
“Because we have suffered from the same thing,” Omar Abdullah added.
He referred to New Delhi’s verbal assurance regarding restoration of IIOJK’s statehood after the Assembly elections, saying that the commitment had yet to materialize. “We were also given a verbal promise that immediately after the elections, statehood would be restored. It has now been almost two years, and that promise is nowhere to be seen,” he said.
Omar Abdullah’s remarks came amid continuing demands in Ladakh region of IIOJK for greater political safeguards and constitutional protections, with the region’s leadership pressing the Indian government on issues including statehood and political representation.
Addressing the leaders of Leh and Kargil directly, Omar Abdullah said that although the issues facing Ladakh were different in nature from those of Kashmir, they should insist on formal documentation of any commitment made by New Delhi.
“To the leaders of Leh and Kargil, my folded-hands request would be: please do not believe verbal promises made by the central government,” he said.
“Unless you get something in writing, in the form of an affidavit, I do not think the people of Ladakh will be able to achieve anything,” Omar Abdullah added.
