Omar Abdullah-led cabinet passes resolution for Jammu and Kashmir statehood

By Gargi Chaudhry | First Published Oct 18, 2024, 11:44 AM IST

The Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, passed a resolution for statehood restoration. The resolution, drafted by the National Conference, was approved during the first cabinet meeting since the recent assembly elections. People's Conference leader Sajad Lone questioned the decision to have the resolution passed by the cabinet instead of the assembly.

The Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has passed a resolution for the restoration of statehood in the Union Territory. According to official sources cited by news agency IANS, the resolution was approved during Thursday's first cabinet meeting. Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, along with ministers Sakeena Masood Itoo, Javed Ahmad Rana, Javaid Ahmad Dar, and Satish Sharma, attended the meeting, which was chaired by the Chief Minister.

The draft of the resolution has been prepared by the National Conference, which won 42 seats in the recently held assembly elections. It is anticipated that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would visit New Delhi and present Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the resolution's text.

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"We have raised the issue of (restoration of) statehood before as well. Today, the Supreme Court has said it will be listed soon. I am hopeful that the Government of India will soon restore the statehood," Abdullah had said on Thursday.

The Supreme Court has agreed to consider an application on the issue within two months, according to Farooq Abdullah, president of the National Conference (NC), who voiced hope about the Center's resolve to restore statehood. He declared that Jammu and Kashmir will soon regain its status as a state under the Indian government.

Sajad Lone, the head of the People's Conference, questioned the NC government's choice to have the statehood resolution passed by the cabinet rather than the assembly, which he feels is the appropriate body for such matters.

The Supreme Court had previously upheld the revocation of Article 370 and mandated that assembly elections be conducted by September 2024, while also indicating that statehood should be restored "at the earliest." Following the Election Commission of India (ECI) announcement regarding the assembly elections, Omar Abdullah had said that the Jammu and Kashmir assembly would prioritise passing a resolution against the Centre's decision to revoke the region's statehood and special status.

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