Srinagar, July 11: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said the National Conference (NC) has not yet received official permission to hold its proposed sit in protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on July 20, despite submitting its request several days ago. The demonstration is planned to coincide with the opening day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session and is aimed at pressing the Union Government to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Abdullah said the party has been waiting for approval for nearly a week. He alleged that unnecessary delays were being created and claimed certain groups were attempting to disrupt the planned programme by scheduling their own events around the same time.
The Chief Minister said the National Conference had completed the necessary formalities and expected the administration to grant permission in a fair and timely manner. According to him, the party remains committed to holding the peaceful demonstration within the framework of the law.
Abdullah also questioned what he described as the differing treatment given to various organisations seeking permission for public events. He claimed that another group received approval within a day, while the National Conference’s application has remained pending for several days.
Despite the uncertainty over official clearance, the party has continued preparations for the protest and has reached out to leaders from across the country in an effort to build wider political support for its demand.
The National Conference has invited more than fifty political and religious leaders representing a broad spectrum of parties and organisations to participate in the demonstration. The outreach reflects the party’s attempt to project the demand for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood as an issue that goes beyond regional politics.
Among the national leaders invited are Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati, Rashtriya Janata Dal founder Lalu Prasad Yadav, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Bharat Rashtra Samithi president K. Chandrashekar Rao, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.
The invitation list also includes actor-politician C. Joseph Vijay, CPI leader D. Raja and Independent Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal.
From Jammu and Kashmir, invitations have been extended to several prominent political figures, including former Chief Ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mehbooba Mufti, BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit president Sat Paul Sharma, Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari, People’s Conference chairman Sajjad Lone, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief Tariq Hameed Karra, CPI(M) leader M.Y. Tarigami and Awami Ittehad Party president and Member of Parliament Engineer Rashid.
Religious leaders have also been invited, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who heads the Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema, and Jammu and Kashmir’s Grand Mufti, Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam.
The proposed protest comes as political parties in Jammu and Kashmir continue to press for the restoration of full statehood, which was revoked after the erstwhile state was reorganised into two Union Territories in August 2019. The National Conference has consistently maintained that restoring statehood is essential for strengthening democratic governance and ensuring greater political representation for the people of the region.
Party leaders have reiterated that the July 20 gathering is intended to be a peaceful and democratic expression of public opinion. They say the protest is aimed at reminding the Centre of its repeated assurances regarding the restoration of statehood and urging it to fulfil those commitments.
With the Monsoon Session of Parliament set to begin on July 20, the National Conference hopes the proposed demonstration will draw national attention to the issue. However, whether the protest proceeds as planned will depend on the authorities granting the required permission in the coming days.