New Delhi, Dec 06: Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said the terror attacks in Pahalgam and Delhi show that “home-grown terrorism never disappeared”. He argued that the Union Territory governance model has failed to ensure coordination between civilian authorities and security agencies.
Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2025 in New Delhi, Abdullah said the past year had been “difficult from a security perspective”, beginning with the Baisaran attack and ending with the blast in Delhi.
“By any yardstick, it’s been a difficult year. You had the attack in Baisaran earlier, and you ended the year with the blast in Delhi, which emanated from a conspiracy hatched in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
The CM said the violence has affected the region’s economic outlook. “The immediate change after Baisaran has reoriented our economy completely. We were never a strong economy, and such circumstances make things even more difficult,” he added.
Rejecting claims that Kashmiris have turned apathetic towards violence, Abdullah said, “Not all Kashmiri Muslims are terrorists. Not all support terrorism. Those who do are a minuscule minority. The overwhelming majority are the ones you saw out on the streets after the Pahalgam attack and the ones studying and working across India.”
He criticised administrative orders in some states requiring Kashmiri Muslims to register at police stations. “You are effectively saying Kashmiri Muslims and foreigners are the same to you. The othering happens, and the damage cannot be undone,” he said.
Omar argued that the UT model prevents timely information flow to elected representatives. He called for the restoration of statehood, saying the elected governments must play a role in security decision-making. “Statehood is essential. You cannot keep security and governance separate,” he said.
The Delhi blast, he said, exposed flaws in the current security framework of Jammu and Kashmir and claimed that the Union Territory model has left the elected government without access to crucial intelligence inputs.
“At present, I learn about blasts from the news just like everyone else. In my first term, the DGP and the CID chief would keep me informed. Today, the elected Chief Minister has no role in security-related decisions. You can’t operate governments in silos,” he said.
The Chief Minister linked the Baisaran and Delhi attacks to what he termed “policy gaps”. “You cannot keep governance and security separate. Home-grown terror never vanished. Those who believed constitutional changes of August 2019 would end terrorism convinced only themselves,” he said.
Omar said Kashmiri society remains opposed to violence. “People are as disturbed by what happened in Pahalgam as they are by what happened in Delhi. It is wrong to paint the entire community with one brush,” he said.
He warned that recent administrative decisions in some states have created fear among youth pursuing education and employment. “Orders that direct Kashmiri Muslims to register at police stations make it harder for them to study and work outside the UT. These actions isolate them,” he said.
Asked whether attacks would rise, CM Omar replied: “I hope there will not be an uptick. What happened should be a wake-up call. The Centre has drawn a line in the sand, so preventing further attacks is critical.”—(KNO)
