Srinagar, Aug 15: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday expressed deep concern over the loss of the region’s special status, saying it had been more than six years since the people of J&K last heard their elected representative speak from the historic venue.
“More than six years have passed since the people of J&K last heard their representative address them from here. When I last spoke from here, I was the Chief Minister of a state. We had our own identity in the country, a constitution, a flag, and statehood,” Abdullah said in his address.
Referring to the constitutional changes made on August 5, 2019, when Article 370 was abrogated and J&K was downgraded to a Union Territory, the National Conference leader underscored that the people had been stripped of their distinct constitutional and political identity.
The former CM’s remarks come amid renewed political debates over the restoration of statehood and special provisions for J&K, with regional parties continuing to press the Centre for reversing the 2019 changes.
