Srinagar, Oct 22: Tareeq Hameed Karra, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) and Member of the Legislative Assembly from Central Shalteng, today voiced strong opposition to any move by the Central Government to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir with amendments. He emphasized that nothing short of full statehood, as it originally existed, would be acceptable to the region’s people.
Addressing reporters in Srinagar, Karra urged the Omar Abdullah-led government to exert pressure on the Central Government for the complete restoration of statehood without any alterations or compromises.
“We have received information that the government is considering restoring statehood with certain amendments, which will not be acceptable to us,” Karra said. He further emphasized that the people of Jammu and Kashmir demand the return of statehood in its entirety, as it was before the abrogation of Article 370.
When questioned about the recent Cabinet resolution regarding statehood, Karra stated that the restoration of full statehood should be the immediate priority. “Whether this matter should have been addressed in the Cabinet or another forum is secondary; we seek a swift and unconditional restoration of statehood,” he clarified.
Karra also reminded reporters of the commitments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament, where they assured the restoration of statehood at the “appropriate time.”
“That time has arrived,” Karra declared. “What more are you punishing the people for? You’ve spun a narrative across the country to justify delaying statehood, but the reasons you cited have already been addressed.”
The Congress leader pointed out that the Modi government’s preconditions for restoring statehood have already been met, noting that peaceful elections have been held, and stability is returning to the region. “There is no valid reason to delay this any longer. The government has stated before that peace and elections were necessary preconditions. Now that they’ve been fulfilled, why the holdup?” he asked.
Karra also made it clear that while his party holds a principled stand on statehood, they are not opposed to government formation for the sake of good governance. “We are not against government formation. Our support is for the effective functioning of the government. But we stand firm in our demand that statehood, along with other rights such as land and job protections, must be restored.”
Dispelling rumors of discord within the alliance, Karra reaffirmed the unity between the National Conference and Congress. He stressed that their coalition was built on the goal of securing the rights of the people, not on the pursuit of ministerial positions. “There is no infighting or discord within the alliance. We are united in our mission to restore what has been unjustly taken from the people, and we will continue to support the government in achieving these goals.”