Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has approved a resolution passed by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah-led cabinet, urging the central government to restore the statehood of the Union Territory, officials said on Saturday. The resolution, which was unanimously passed during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday, seeks the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood in its original form.
Without delving into further details, officials confirmed that the LG has given his clearance to the resolution, news agency PTI reported. The spokesperson emphasised, "The restoration of statehood will be a beginning of a healing process, reclaiming the constitutional rights and protecting the identity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir."
The cabinet has authorised Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to pursue the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India for the restoration of statehood. "Protection of Jammu and Kashmir's unique identity and constitutional rights of people remains the cornerstone of the newly-elected government's policy," the spokesperson added, as per PTI. The Chief Minister is expected to travel to New Delhi in the coming days to engage in discussions with the Prime Minister and Union Ministers on the matter.
In addition, the cabinet has decided to convene the Legislative Assembly session in Srinagar on 4th November and has advised the LG to summon and address the assembly. The draft of the LG’s address to the Legislative Assembly for the commencement of the first session was presented to the Council of Ministers. The Council decided that the draft should be further reviewed and discussed.
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However, the resolution has faced criticism from various political parties for its limited scope, addressing only the restoration of statehood and not the reinstatement of Article 370. Parties such as the People's Democratic Party (PDP), People's Conference (PC), and Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) criticised the National Conference (NC) for what they termed an "utter surrender" and a shift from its pre-election stance. These parties reminded the NC of its poll promise to fight for the reinstatement of Articles 370 and 35A, alongside the restoration of statehood as it was prior to August 5, 2019, calling the recent resolution a departure from that commitment.