{"id":199878,"date":"2026-05-06T20:20:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T15:20:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/?p=199878"},"modified":"2026-05-06T20:20:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T15:20:29","slug":"omar-abdullah-slams-delay-in-iiojk-statehood-says-kashmiris-being-punished-for-political-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/2026\/05\/06\/omar-abdullah-slams-delay-in-iiojk-statehood-says-kashmiris-being-punished-for-political-choice.html","title":{"rendered":"Omar Abdullah slams delay in IIOJK statehood, says Kashmiris being punished for political choice"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed acute disappointment over the BJP-led Indian government\u2019s delay in restoring statehood to the territory, questioning whether Kashmiris are being punished for not electing a saffron party chief minister.<\/p>\n

According to Kashmir Media Service, in a media interview, Omar Abdullah said it was deeply unfair that the promise of statehood to the people of IIOJK was yet to be fulfilled, adding that the continued delay amounted to deceit and a breach of commitment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it because the BJP was not allowed to form a government here? Is that why the people of Jammu and Kashmir are being punished?\u201d he asked. He said the matter has been needlessly delayed and no one was able to explain the reasons behind it. \u201cEvery time we are told that Jammu and Kashmir\u2019s statehood will be restored at the appropriate time, but nobody tells us when the appropriate time is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Omar Abdullah said there was no clear indication of what occupied Jammu and Kashmir must do to satisfy New Delhi\u2019s \u201cappropriate time\u201d criteria, leaving the issue of statehood restoration in limbo. \u201cWhat is the yardstick to measure appropriate time? At least if we knew, we would work towards it. We keep the demand alive and continue to raise it, but it is deeply unfair to the people of J&K that this promise is not being kept,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He further said that the BJP-led government had repeatedly outlined a three-step roadmap for occupied Jammu and Kashmir \u2014 delimitation, elections and statehood. While the first two steps are done, he noted that his government would complete two years in office this October.<\/p>\n

The timeline, he stressed, had already gone well beyond the \u201cearly\u201d restoration of statehood promised in the Indian parliament and before the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

Referring to a 2023 Supreme Court observation that statehood should be restored \u201cat the earliest\u201d, Omar Abdullah said, \u201cThat\u2019s the problem with \u2018at the earliest\u2019\u2014it is too vague.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed acute disappointment over the BJP-led Indian government\u2019s delay in restoring statehood to the territory, questioning whether Kashmiris are being punished for not electing a saffron party chief minister. According to Kashmir Media Service, in a media interview, Omar Abdullah said …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":185819,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-199878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indian-occupied-jammu-and-kashmir"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t