SRINAGAR, AUGUST 5: Marking the sixth anniversary of the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and its reconstitution into Union Territories, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has made a fresh and assertive appeal for the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. In a move carrying both political weight and constitutional urgency, Abdullah has written to the presidents of over 40 national and regional political parties, urging them to unite behind a shared demand he described not as a concession, but a “course correction” necessary to safeguard the federal character of the Indian republic.
In his two-page letter, the Chief Minister has called for the immediate introduction of legislation in the ongoing session of Parliament that would restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood. Officials confirmed that the letter invokes the broader implications of statehood withdrawal, cautioning that continuing to treat such a status as a matter of political discretion rather than a constitutional guarantee could erode the very principles on which Indian federalism stands.
“Restoration must not be viewed as a concession but as an essential course correction, one that prevents us from sliding down a dangerous and slippery slope where the statehood of our constituent states is no longer regarded as a foundational and sacred constitutional right but reduced instead to a discretionary favour bestowed at the will of the central government,” the letter reads.
The appeal comes nine months after the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly passed a unanimous resolution calling for the restoration of statehood, a resolution that was personally submitted to the Prime Minister. Abdullah noted that while assurances were offered at the time, concrete legislative progress remains absent.
With the Parliament in session, the timing of this renewed appeal is deliberate. The Chief Minister emphasized that restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood is not only about addressing the democratic aspirations of its people but also about reinforcing faith in the constitutional structure of India, where the status of a state is not intended to be transactional or revocable on political whims.
The letter is being viewed as a strategic political intervention that seeks to go beyond partisan lines. By reaching out to over 40 party presidents, including those outside his ideological fold, Abdullah is signaling that the issue of statehood transcends electoral calculations and must be viewed through the lens of constitutional integrity and federal balance.