On the occasion of India’s Independence Day, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah paid rich tributes to the freedom fighters of Jammu and Kashmir and firmly reiterated that the decision taken by the region’s leaders to remain with India after Independence was the correct one when viewed against the present situation across the Line of Control. Looking at POK situation, staying with India was the right call — Had 370 not gone, they’d be protesting to join us. vows to keep fighting for special status.
He paid special homage to Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and other leaders who organised the defense of the region. Among them, he singled out Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah. Thousands of brave people sacrificed their lives and defeated the infiltrators. Abdullah specifically saluted Master Abdul Aziz, a National Conference leader who was mercilessly killed in Muzaffarabad while trying to stop the Kabali raid. It is regretful. We are worried. He then posed a question: “Have we really established that, India? If not, what is left to do? “To save democracy at all costs, to strengthen democracy at all costs, to keep democracy alive at all costs, this is our great responsibility. But at the same time, to save and strengthen the federalism of this country, this responsibility also rests on us. Strengthening federalism, he argued, must begin with Jammu and Kashmir, but it cannot be limited to restoring one state. It requires strengthening all states, preventing central agencies from interfering in state subjects, and ensuring that powers constitutionally belonging to the states are not hollowed out. He referred to recent student protests in Delhi against changes in examination and admission processes as a symptom of this erosion of federal rights.
He said that if the constitutional position of Jammu and Kashmir had not been altered in 2019, people living in the part of the Pakistan occupied Kashmir would today have been protesting for reunification with us. Addressing the gathering, Abdullah recalled the heroic resistance mounted by the people of Jammu and Kashmir against the tribal invaders (Kabalis) sent from across the border in 1947. He added: “On my part, I realize that perhaps if our conditions had not changed in 2019, the people of Jammu and Kashmir of that part would have been protesting to reconnect with us. Paying homage to all martyrs who fought for the country’s freedom, Abdullah said: “Today is a day of joy, today is a day of remembrance, today is a day of reflection, of reckoning… the India for which those brave men fought and sacrificed their lives 80 years ago… is better than the whole world, we are its bubbles, this is our bouquet. Perhaps after 80 years of independence, this is a good opportunity for us to think about it.
“When we talk about Independence, when we talk about 15th August in Jammu and Kashmir, this occasion would be incomplete without paying tribute to the greatest personalities who fought for the freedom of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. Looking at the present condition of that part of Jammu and Kashmir across the LoC, he said, “It is sad. The two greatest strengths of the country, he said, are its democracy and its federalism. Pointing to the conversion of Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory, Abdullah stressed that India is a “Union of States” — a principle that is not merely stated but constitutionally recognized. state educational institutions should retain the right to conduct their own admissions, he said While national-level examinations for national institutions are legitimate.
They see a better future.” “This government that has been working for the last two and a half years, It is working for people for the betterment of Jammu and Kashmir so that in every village, every youth sees a ray of light.
On the performance of the present government, he said we are working in harmony with the people and is committed to fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
