{"id":10564,"date":"2026-01-26T20:28:30","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T20:28:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/?p=10564"},"modified":"2026-01-26T20:28:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T20:28:30","slug":"on-r-day-dy-cm-says-jk-people-have-always-stood-firm-against-pakistans-designs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/2026\/01\/26\/on-r-day-dy-cm-says-jk-people-have-always-stood-firm-against-pakistans-designs\/","title":{"rendered":"On R-Day, Dy CM says J&#038;K people have always stood firm against Pakistan\u2019s designs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>\u2018Every attempt to weaken J&amp;K or India being defeated by people\u2019s unity; hopeful of statehood restoration\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Srinagar, Jan 26: Thundering from the podium of Srinagar\u2019s Bakshi Stadium on the occasion of 77th Republic Day, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Monday said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have always stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest of the country to defend the nation against Pakistan\u2019s attempts to create unrest or weaken India.<\/p>\n<p>He expressed confidence that J&amp;K will regain its statehood soon, reiterating the promise made by the Prime Minister and the Home Minister on the floor of Parliament.<\/p>\n<p>Addressing a large gathering during the official Republic Day function, the Deputy CM thundered that the resilience and patriotism of J&amp;K\u2019s people have time and again defeated divisive agendas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhenever Pakistan tried to do something against us or to weaken Jammu and Kashmir or India, the people of Jammu and Kashmir stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest of the country. They have always sacrificed for this flag,\u201d the Deputy CM said, as reported by the news agency\u2014Kashmir News Observer (KNO), drawing loud applause from the crowd.<\/p>\n<p>Choudhary said the history of Jammu and Kashmir was one of loyalty, sacrifice and unity. \u201cWhether during militancy or war, the people of this region have always supported the security forces and upheld the national flag,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will stand proudly with the Indian Army.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said the Prime Minister has assured restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. \u201cI am hopeful that J&amp;K will soon regain its statehood, as envisioned by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah.<\/p>\n<p>The Dy CM recalled that the Supreme Court had also expressed confidence that Jammu and Kashmir would regain its full statehood status, adding that the government led by Chief Minister Umar Abdullah was working toward that goal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe state that was ours, Maharaja Hari Singh\u2019s, the state Sheikh Abdullah joined with India, will get its lost status back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Development and governance agenda<\/p>\n<p>Highlighting the administration\u2019s development priorities, the Deputy CM said that under the Smart City Project, 200 new red buses have been introduced to improve public transport facilities in Srinagar and Jammu.<\/p>\n<p>He said the government stands by its promise to regularise daily-wage workers. \u201cWe have promised that daily-wagers will be given permanent status and the government stands by this commitment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Choudhary said the Omar Abdullah-led government is adopting a digital transformation model for efficient and transparent governance. \u201cOur government is embracing a digital revolution to ensure accountability and speedy delivery of services,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>On infrastructure, he said the focus remains on improving road connectivity across Jammu and Kashmir. \u201cSeveral bridges which remained incomplete for decades have now been completed. Our aim is to strengthen every link that connects the people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Economy, culture and local industry<\/p>\n<p>Calling traditional crafts the backbone of Jammu and Kashmir\u2019s economy, Choudhary said, \u201cBasoli paintings, Kani shawls and our handicrafts are our heritage. Our artisans are playing a crucial role in reviving and preserving this legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He assured sustained government support to the artisans\u2019 community and small-scale industries that define the region\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n<p>On financial matters, the Deputy CM said the transition from statehood to Union Territory had affected fund allocation. \u201cAfter being downgraded from a state to a UT, we are not receiving funds at the level we used to. However, considering the unique challenges of Jammu and Kashmir, we are hopeful that the Centre will release additional funds,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Expressing hope about the upcoming budget, he noted, \u201cPeople should remain hopeful, as the coming budget will be people-friendly and focused on grassroots needs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Water, waste and women empowerment<\/p>\n<p>The Deputy Chief Minister said that special machinery is being installed to ensure clean drinking water across all regions of Jammu and Kashmir. He revealed that a new waste management plant is being set up in South Kashmir to address waste-related challenges in rural areas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClean water and waste management are critical for healthy communities. We are setting up modern systems in both sectors,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Choudhary said the government\u2019s focus on women&#8217;s empowerment, stressing that no state could progress unless women were active participants in development. \u201cOur aim is to empower women socially and economically, and they are the backbone of progress,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Unity, security and statehood sentiment<\/p>\n<p>In another segment of his speech, the Deputy CM turned to the themes of unity, brotherhood and national integrity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJammu and Kashmir is peaceful today; its tourism industry is flourishing, which is our livelihood,\u201d he said, praying that the next Republic Day brings even greater peace and prosperity.<\/p>\n<p>Choudhary stressed that the unity among communities in Jammu and Kashmir is unbreakable. \u201cOur brotherhood of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians has always been, will remain and will last for centuries. No matter what anyone tries to do to divide Jammu and Kashmir, it cannot be broken,\u201d he said to loud applause.<\/p>\n<p>The Deputy CM ended on a patriotic note: \u201cOur spirits are always high. This is our pledge, this is our oath.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Remarks at Balidan Stambh, Lal Chowk<\/p>\n<p>Earlier, speaking to reporters at the Balidan Stambh in Lal Chowk, the Deputy Chief Minister extended Republic Day greetings to people across Jammu and Kashmir and the country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn every corner of Jammu and Kashmir and on every corner of India, congratulations to all the people of every religion, every caste and every community,&#8221; he said. &#8220;On behalf of the Omar Abdullah-led government and myself, I extend my greetings.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He added, \u201cThe coming year should bring greater peace and prosperity. We pray that when January 26, 2027, comes, it brings more happiness than what we have today.&#8221; (KNO)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2018Every attempt to weaken J&amp;K or India being defeated by people\u2019s unity; hopeful of statehood restoration\u2019 Srinagar, Jan 26: Thundering from the podium of Srinagar\u2019s Bakshi Stadium on the occasion of 77th Republic Day, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Monday said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have always stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-news","category-kt-front"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10564"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10566,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10564\/revisions\/10566"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}