Srinagar, Aug 25: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday exuded hope that the Supreme Court will set a deadline on the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir
“I do not know who went to the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing. We also want there should be no delay in this decision,” Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
He said his government has been after the restoration of statehood for the last ten months since it took over.
“Our first decision in the first cabinet meeting was to pass a resolution on statehood. In my first meeting with the prime minister, the first thing I did was to hand over the cabinet resolution on statehood to him,” he said.
“We have been waiting, but we have not had any benefit. Unfortunately, the SC is not ready to hear this issue before October 10. We will wait some more and are still hopeful that while the Centre did not take a decision, the SC will,” he added.
The chief minister said that had the SC not directed the Centre to conduct the assembly elections in J-K, “perhaps I would not have been here before you as chief minister today”.
“The elections in J-K were possible only when the SC set a deadline. Unfortunately, the SC did not set a deadline on statehood, and that is why we are being dragged so much.
“I hope when the issue comes before the SC on October 10, it will set a deadline and our statehood will be restored immediately,” he said.
On a protest led by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti seeking the transfer of prisoners from jails outside J&K, he said there was nothing wrong with the protest, but the decisions on matters of security are taken in Delhi.
“We are all worried about it. But nothing can happen by doing anything in Srinagar. The decisions on security in Jammu and Kashmir are taken in Delhi, in the Home Ministry. So, better is that she goes to Delhi, meets the Home Minister, and raises this issue with him the way we did,” he said.
The CM said his government placed the issue before Union Home Minister Amit Shah because the decision has to be taken there.
“If they (PDP) are doing it just for a show, then let them do it. No one will have any objection to it,” he added.
Asked about the signature campaign announced by him during his Independence Day speech to garner support for the restoration of statehood, Abdullah said that it is going on. “When we complete that, we will take that to the Central government and the SC,” he said.