DH NEWS SERVICE
JAMMU, feb 3
Congress Legislature Party leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir on Tuesday pitched for united efforts cutting across party lines for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to convene an all-party meeting to build consensus and approach the Centre on the issue.
Participating in the discussion on the lieutenant governor’s address in the Assembly on Tuesday, Mir said that there was a need to take all political parties, including the opposition BJP, on board to persuade New Delhi to restore statehood to the Union Territory.
“I appreciate what (CPIM MLA) Tarigami sahib said. Efforts were being made over the last six months to request Farooq Abdullah sahib or Omar sahib to convene an all-party meeting, including the BJP, on this issue. We need to build consensus and approach Delhi to ensure restoration of statehood,” Mir, who is the AICC general secretary, said.
Mir reiterated that the August 5, 2019, decision to abrogate Article 370 and bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories was taken unilaterally without consulting the people or their representatives.
“There was immense suffering and hardship. The state was bifurcated and downgraded without consultation with the people or their elected representatives. As a result, people lost their aspirations and expectations,” he said.
He said that democratic processes in Jammu and Kashmir were revived under various pressures, including the Supreme Court’s direction to hold Assembly elections before September 2024.
“Had the Supreme Court not ruled that elections must be held and a government formed, perhaps none of us would be sitting in this House today,” Mir said.
Referring to assurances by the Centre, Mir said that commitments were made that delimitation would be carried out, elections held and statehood restored thereafter, which encouraged people to participate in large numbers in the 2024 Assembly elections.
“The elections witnessed the highest participation in Jammu and Kashmir’s electoral history, as people believed that the first battle would be to reclaim the powers taken away from them,” he said.
While acknowledging the efforts made by the Chief Minister, Mir said that visible and tangible steps towards restoration of statehood were needed.
“In such matters, there may have been shortcomings in coordination and mutual understanding,” he added.
Mir said that people across Jammu and Kashmir, irrespective of their political affiliations, feel aggrieved as the powers that should have been vested with the elected government and legislators are still lacking.
He also referred to the chief minister’s statements about administrative challenges and said that such developments affected public perception and governance at various levels.
Mir noted that despite constraints, the government had taken steps towards employment generation, noting that around 7,000 people were provided jobs in 2025 and recruitment for 30,000 to 32,000 additional posts was underway.
“In such difficult circumstances, filling nearly 40,000 vacancies is no small achievement,” he said, adding that several sectors, particularly health, were facing acute staff shortages despite having infrastructure in place.
‘Ind-Pak matches covered like war’: Omar Abdullah slams politicisation of sports
JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said that Pakistan’s decision to withdraw from the high-profile T20 World Cup match against India was the result of the problematic intersection of sports and politics.
Abdullah, a cricket enthusiast, emphasised that merging sports with political issues often leads to adverse outcomes.
“We have now completely stopped differentiating between sports and politics. Time and again, through the media, whenever there is a match between India and Pakistan, it is presented as a war. You never cover it like a normal match,” the chief minister told reporters from the Assembly lawns here.
Asserting that India’s matches with Pakistan are always blown out of proportion, Abdullah said it was one of the reasons for such controversies to arise.
“When we play against other countries, it does not receive as much attention, but when it’s against Pakistan, it is blown out of proportion. That is when such situations arise. It should not happen. Yes, they are participating in this World Cup, but they will not play against us,” the chief minister said.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has warned Pakistan of severe repercussions for its selective pullout from the high-profile T20 World Cup contest against India in Colombo on February 15.
Pakistan’s decision, conveyed through an official government statement, is being seen as a political protest linked to Bangladesh’s removal from the tournament after the world body declined its request to shift matches from India to Sri Lanka on security grounds.
‘Relief for our exporters’: Omar Abdullah welcomes US’ tariff cut on Indian goods
JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday welcomed the US government’s decision to bring down reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods, saying this would bring relief to many exporters in the country who were facing difficulties in view of the increased tariff.
US President Donald Trump on Monday announced that India and the US have agreed on a trade deal under which Washington will reduce the reciprocal tariff on Indian goods to 18 per cent from the current 25 per cent.
The announcement is crucial for India as the US imposed a steep 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods entering American markets from August 27, 2025.
“These tariffs were proving to be quite burdensome for us, and we also know very well why these tariffs were imposed. The United States was not happy with the fact that we buy oil from Russia. Trump announced that the Indian government has now stopped purchasing oil from Russia, and because of that, the tariffs will no longer be imposed on us,” the chief minister told reporters in the Assembly lawns here.
He said that if the Indian government had stopped buying oil from Russia, it might be a good development.
However, he wondered where the BJP-led government would obtain oil now that it is no longer sourcing from Russia, and whether purchasing from alternative sources would result in an increase in petrol and diesel prices in the country. “For that, we have to wait and see,” Abdullah said.
Regarding the reduction of tariffs, the chief minister mentioned, “It will benefit our exports, which is a good step, as many of our exporters were facing significant challenges. Some even felt they might have to shut down their businesses. Now that tariffs have been reduced, we hope that their businesses will begin to thrive again.”
