Omar discusses statehood, obstacles faced by the J&K government. With Amit Shah

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah addresses the media after a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, Thursday, December 19, 2024. Photo credit: PTI

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Thursday (December 19, 2024). They discussed the restoration of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and the obstacles faced by the newly elected government of the union territory in the last two months.

This is the second time that Mr. Abdullah has sought a meeting with the Home Minister since assuming office as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Mr. Abdullah continues to demand that the Center reinstate Jammu and Kashmir as a state.

The meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere. Discussions are ongoing on the status of Kashmir, including the restoration of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is hoped that these efforts will benefit the people of Jammu and Kashmir and lead to the restoration of the state,” Mr. Abdullah said after the meeting.

Official sources said Mr. Abdullah also discussed issues in Jammu and Kashmir that require the “handholding of the Center for effective governance”.

“The experiences and hurdles we faced in the last two months after taking power after the formation of the popular government also came up for discussion in the meeting,” said Mr. Abdullah.

Mr. Abdullah also clarified the reasons for the delay in the Trade Rules (TBR), which will define the role of the Chief Minister, the Cabinet and the Lieutenant-Governor in J&K.

“This is our thing. It has nothing to do with the Government of India. The TBR will be decided by the elected government of J&K and approved by the cabinet and then sent to the lieutenant governor,” Mr. Abdullah said without disclosing details about the status of the TBR.

Mr. Shah conducted the first security review of J&K after the government was formed in the union territory. Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha, Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi, National Investigation Agency Director General Sadanand Date, Border Security Force Director General Daljit Singh Chaudhary, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dullu, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir were present in the meeting. Police Nalin Prabhat, Assistant Director General of Police (ADGP)-Law and Order Vijay Kumar, and ADGP Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Nitish Kumar.

Official sources said a detailed security roadmap to contain terrorism and cross-border infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir was discussed. Mr Shah was briefed by top security officials on security, and new measures were put in place to combat terrorism and contain separatism in Jammu and Kashmir.