‘We were promised statehood after elections, failed even after two years’
Pulwama, Sep 16: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday advised the leadership in Ladakh not to rely merely on verbal assurances from the Central government, saying that any major commitment should be formally documented.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to Pulwama, Omar, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said the experience of Jammu and Kashmir should serve as a reminder that verbal assurances alone may not provide sufficient certainty.
“I can only advise the Ladakh leaders not to believe any verbal promises made by the Central government unless these promises are in writing, preferably on an affidavit,” he said.
Referring to Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief Minister said the Union Territory had also been assured that statehood would be restored after the Assembly elections. “We were also promised restoration of statehood after elections, but they failed to keep their promise even after two years,” Abdullah said.
The remarks came during his visit to Pulwama, where he reviewed the progress of development projects and interacted with district officers regarding ongoing works. During the visit, around Rs 86 crore worth of development projects were dedicated to the public.
According to officials, eight completed projects involving an expenditure of around Rs 23.12 crore were inaugurated, while foundation stones for 11 new projects worth approximately Rs 63.01 crore were laid.
The projects relate to various sectors, including health, education, road connectivity and public infrastructure, and are aimed at strengthening basic services and addressing developmental requirements in the district.
Abdullah also said the tourism potential of Pulwama had not received adequate attention and announced that his government would focus more on developing tourism destinations in the district.
He particularly highlighted the potential of the Tral area and said funds had already been earmarked for tourism-related development there.
“Till now, there has been the least amount of focus on tourism in Pulwama district. Despite the potential, we have not been able to develop any tourism site here in the district,” he said. “I have allocated money to Tral for tourism development. I have promised more funds to bring Pulwama on the tourism map.”
CM Abdullah said the government would explore the tourism potential of different areas of Pulwama and work towards developing the necessary infrastructure and facilities so that visitors could be attracted while local communities also benefit from the sector.
Asked about the ongoing protest by National Health Mission employees across Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said the government could not prevent employees from holding protests but maintained that formal talks would be held after they call off the agitation. “We cannot stop anyone from protesting, but we can talk to them only after they end their protest,” he said.
The Chief Minister explained that allowing negotiations while employees were on strike could encourage other groups to adopt similar methods for raising their demands. “If we solve their issues during the protest, then everyone will come on protest with their issues,” he said.
CM Abdullah referred to the recent agitation by medical interns, saying the government had engaged with them after they ended their protest. “We talked to the medical interns after they ended their protest and the same will happen here,” he said. (KNO)
