Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday asserted that Jammu and Kashmir should be granted statehood as soon as possible
He claimed that it has been a long time since the Supreme court directed the centre to restore J&K's statehood
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday asserted that Jammu and Kashmir should be granted statehood as soon as possible, PTI reported. He gave the statement while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the National Tribal Festival in the frontier Gurez sector in north Kashmir's Bandipora district.
He claimed that it has been a long time since the Supreme court directed the centre to restore J&K’s statehood. "When the court gave its ruling in the Article 370 case, there were two important aspects in that. One was related to (assembly) elections, that elections should be conducted within a timeframe. The court also talked about statehood, saying statehood should be restored to Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible," Abdullah said.
"Now, a lot of time has passed since then. We want Jammu and Kashmir to become a state again as soon as possible," the chief minister added.
Speaking about the tribal festival, Omar said that people from Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and other states came here and got to witness the culture of a different area. We want tourism to increase in areas like Gurez, Tangdhar Keran and Machil. Similarly, border tourism will be promoted in Jammu as well. This is a way to reduce unemployment in these areas and improve the economy of the people, he said.
Abdullah asserted that "Our tribal communities are the living soul of India's cultural diversity. Festivals like these strengthen the bonds of unity and mutual respect across regions." He also held a public interaction in the Dawar area of Gurez and discussed the concerns of the residents in the area.
