Omar Abdullah Invokes PoK While Renewing Jammu And Kashmir Statehood Appeal

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said people in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) could have demanded a merger with Jammu and Kashmir if the Centre had not abrogated the region's special constitutional status and revoked its statehood in 2019. Abdullah made the remarks during his Independence Day address in Srinagar, where he hoisted the national flag and spoke about developments across the Line of Control (LoC). Referring to the situation in PoK, Abdullah said events across the LoC caused him "pain, regret, and deep distress".

His comments came against the backdrop of reports of continuing protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and action by Pakistani security forces against demonstrators. Several protesters have reportedly been killed or injured in firing in recent months, adding to tensions in the region. Abdullah argued that the situation could have developed differently if Jammu and Kashmir had retained its earlier constitutional arrangements and statehood. He suggested that people living in PoK might have risen to demand that the territory be merged with Jammu and Kashmir.

The Chief Minister's comments were framed as a contrast between conditions on the two sides of the LoC and came during an address marking India's 80th Independence Day. "When I see the situation across the border, I realise that our ancestors who said 'hamlavar khabardar, hum Kashmiri hain tayyar' (Attackers beware, Kashmiris are prepared) were right," Abdullah said. The statement invoked the region's history and the conflict that followed the Partition of India, while also connecting the present situation in PoK with Jammu and Kashmir's political trajectory.

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The remarks also touched on the major constitutional changes introduced by the Centre in August 2019. The government abrogated the provisions of Article 370 that had granted Jammu and Kashmir special status and reorganised the former state into the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The move fundamentally changed the region's constitutional and administrative structure and has remained a major political issue in Jammu and Kashmir. Abdullah, who returned as chief minister after the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, has repeatedly called for the restoration of the region's statehood.

The demand has remained a prominent issue for the National Conference-led government, which has argued that Jammu and Kashmir should regain the status it held before the 2019 reorganisation. The Centre has indicated that statehood would be restored at an appropriate time, although the precise timeline remains a matter of political debate. The Chief Minister's Independence Day remarks therefore combined criticism of the situation in PoK with his continuing demand for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

By drawing a comparison between developments across the LoC and the political changes made in Jammu and Kashmir since 2019, Abdullah sought to underline his argument about the region's political future. His comments come at a time when developments in PoK have renewed attention on the wider Kashmir issue. Reports of protests and clashes with Pakistani security forces have added to political tensions across the LoC. Abdullah's remarks are likely to draw a strong response from Pakistan, given the longstanding dispute over Kashmir and India's position that Pakistan-occupied territories are an integral part of India.

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