Full statehood not charity, says G.A. Mir as pre-1953 status debate dominates IIOJK politics
Srinagar: The reference to restoration of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s pre-1953 status continues to trigger intense debate among politicians, political observers and civil society members, as Congress Legislature Party leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir said restoration of full statehood to the territory not a demand for “charity”.
Mir said the IIOJK Legislative Assembly should speak with one voice on restoration of full statehood, asserting that the people of the territory stood behind the demand.
“As far as the restoration of full statehood is concerned, the Assembly is not asking for charity. This is a commitment,” Mir said, referring to the bifurcation of the erstwhile state and the subsequent assurance that statehood would be restored.
He said two years had passed since elections and argued that failure to restore full statehood had left the region with “dual power centres”, creating difficulties for people seeking resolution of their grievances.
Mir said the Assembly had already passed a resolution on statehood and that the fresh move served as a reminder of the commitment. He, however, said the portions concerning autonomy could be debated separately.
National Conference Additional General Secretary and Rajya Sabha member Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan said restoration of statehood had been a clear part of his party’s election manifesto and alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party was seeking excuses to avoid voting on the issue.
Ramzan rejected calls for dissolution of the Assembly and said the House should be allowed to debate and vote on the resolution.
On the reference to the 2000 resolution about restoration of pre-1953 position, Ramzan said the issue was being unnecessarily sensationalised. He recalled that several BJP legislators had supported the resolution when it was passed by the Assembly in 2000.
National Conference leader and former minister Ajay Sadhotra also accused the BJP of creating confusion over the statehood resolution. He said the issue concerned the democratic and constitutional aspirations of the people and argued that BJP members should have remained in the House, participated in the debate and placed their objections on record.
The controversy centres on the September 25 resolution moved by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, which calls for the “immediate and urgent restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir” and states that it is in addition to Assembly resolutions passed in 2000 and 2024. The 2000 resolution had sought restoration of the constitutional position prevailing before 1953.
Analysts and political observers have said the reference to the pre-1953 status resolution has stirred a fresh political storm, shifting the Assembly debate beyond statehood to the territory’s wider political future. The controversy has brought the 2000 question back into the political discourse, with supporters and opponents interpreting its inclusion differently.
