Omar Abdullah Reaffirms Commitment To Statehood Restoration, Calls For Persistent Democratic Pressure

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday underscored that meaningful political change cannot be achieved through a single act of protest, stressing that sustained, repeated efforts are essential to ensure that Jammu and Kashmir’s long‑pending demand for the restoration of statehood is heard at the national level.

Speaking to reporters in Ganderbal near here, Abdullah said the National Conference (NC) deliberately took its protest to New Delhi with full awareness that immediate results were unlikely, but with the conviction that consistent democratic pressure remains vital. He reminded that the promise made by the Central Government regarding the restoration of J&K’s statehood “remains unfulfilled,” and that silence or inaction would only weaken the cause.

Abdullah emphasised that the NC did not wait for the developments of August 5 -the seventh anniversary of the Centre’s stripping erstwhile state of J&K of its special status and splitting it up into two Union territories- to raise its voice. Long before that date, he said, the J&K Assembly had passed a resolution seeking the protection of the erstwhile state’s special status and constitutional guarantees, forwarding it to the Centre as part of a democratic and institutional process. He noted that whatever steps were required on August 5 would be taken, but the party had already been actively pressing its demand rather than waiting passively for political timelines to unfold.

Pertinently, opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti earlier this week announced that her party leaders and workers would hold district-level protests across J&K on August 5 to mark their opposition to the abrogation of Article 370 and the constitutional changes introduced in 2019.

Reiterating the purpose of the recent protest in New Delhi, Abdullah said the demonstration was not intended as a one‑time appeal but as part of a sustained campaign to remind the Central Government of its commitment. “We know that our demand will not be accepted with just one protest, but we have to remind them consistently,” he said, adding that the NC’s objective was to register its concern over the continued delay and to ensure that the issue remains alive in the national discourse.

Abdullah reaffirmed that the restoration of full statehood is a core commitment of the NC and that the party will continue to pursue this goal through peaceful, democratic means. He said the demand would be raised at every appropriate platform, and the party would maintain pressure on the Centre until J&K’s constitutional status as a full‑fledged state is restored. He made clear that the struggle is not symbolic but a sustained political effort aimed at securing the rights and dignity promised to the people of J&K. End it