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. (Agencies)
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