Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday expressed hope that the Supreme Court will set a deadline for restoring statehood to the Union Territory when it hears the case in October.
The apex court, however, refused to advance the hearing on pleas seeking the restoration of statehood, noting that the matter is already scheduled for October 10.
“I don’t know who requested an urgent hearing. We also want this decision to be taken without delay,” Abdullah told reporters at a function here. He emphasized that his government has been pursuing the restoration of statehood for the past ten months.
“Our first cabinet decision was to pass a resolution on statehood. In my first meeting with the Prime Minister, I handed over this resolution,” he said.
Abdullah added, “We have been waiting, but there has been no progress. The Supreme Court is not ready to hear this before October 10, so we must wait a little longer. Still, we remain hopeful that the court will act even if the Centre has not.”
Reflecting on the assembly elections in J-K, he noted, “Had the Supreme Court not directed the Centre to hold elections, perhaps I wouldn’t be standing here as Chief Minister today. The elections happened only because the court set a deadline. Unfortunately, no deadline has been set for statehood, which is why this process has been delayed. I hope that on October 10, the court will set a timeline and restore our statehood immediately.”
On a question regarding a protest led by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti demanding the transfer of prisoners from jails outside J-K, Abdullah said the protest was understandable, but decisions on security matters are made in Delhi.
“We are concerned too, but nothing will change from Srinagar. Security decisions are taken by the Home Ministry in Delhi. It would be better if she went there and raised the issue directly with the Home Minister, as we have done,” he said.
The Chief Minister noted that his government had already raised the matter with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “If PDP is doing this just for show, that is their choice. No one will object,” he added.
Regarding his signature campaign announced on Independence Day to gather support for statehood, Abdullah said it is ongoing. “Once complete, we will present it to the Central government and the Supreme Court,” he said.
