SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said that Jammu And Kashmir is being denied an elected government since 2018. He said that the state has not seen Assembly elections since 2014.
He said that if you could have an Assembly election in 1996, when situation was much worse, then you can do it in 2024 as well.
Abdullah said that he did not expect Article 370 was going to be abrogated till it actually happened. Abdullah mentioned during the ABP Networks’s Idea Of India Summit that they had been given assurance by the Governor, indicating that there were no intentions to abolish the Constitutional status of Jammu & Kashmir, hence leading to an unexpected turn of events
Abdullah admitted that JK is relatively calm now. “It’s no secret there are no street protests… The belief that Article 370 was the cause of J&K’s problems, is not true. When It was abrogated it was said that terrorism, separatism, the seeming lack of development was due to Article 370. But we will be reaching the 5th anniversary of the abrogation. Pockets of separatists still exist. ”
He further said that nearly every week, a terror attack is reported. Areas that were free of terror, like Rajouri and Poonch, are now seeing militant attacks.
“There was no attack on minorities when I was the CM. Today, that is a regular occurrence. Kashmiri Pandits who had resettled in Kashmir with government jobs and other packages are now screaming to be allowed to leave and move back to Jammu,” Abdullah said.
