CLP Leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir Urges All-Party Unity for Restoration of J&K Statehood

Jammu, Feb 3: Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir on Tuesday called for a united political effort cutting across party lines for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to convene an all-party meeting to build a broad-based consensus on the issue.

Participating in the discussion on the Lieutenant Governor’s address in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Mir said that the demand for statehood is not confined to any single political party and requires a collective and coordinated approach involving all stakeholders, including the opposition BJP.

“I appreciate what Tarigami sahib has said. For the last six months, efforts have been made to request Farooq Abdullah sahib or Omar sahib to convene an all-party meeting, including the BJP, on this issue. We need to build consensus and then approach Delhi to ensure the restoration of statehood,” Mir said.

Reiterating the Congress party’s stand, Mir said that the August 5, 2019, decision to abrogate Article 370 and bifurcate the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories was taken unilaterally, without consultation with the people or their elected representatives.

“There was immense suffering and hardship. The state was bifurcated and downgraded without consultation with the people or their representatives. As a result, people lost their aspirations and expectations,” he observed.

Mir said that the revival of democratic processes in Jammu and Kashmir happened under various pressures, including the Supreme Court’s direction to conduct Assembly elections before September 2024. “Had the Supreme Court not ruled that elections must be held and a government formed, perhaps none of us would be sitting in this House today,” he remarked.

Referring to earlier assurances from the Centre, Mir said that people were told that delimitation would be completed, elections would be held and statehood would be restored thereafter. These commitments, he added, motivated people to participate in large numbers in the 2024 Assembly elections.

“The elections witnessed the highest participation in Jammu and Kashmir’s electoral history because people believed that the first battle would be to reclaim the powers taken away from them,” Mir said.

While acknowledging the efforts made by the Chief Minister and the present government, the CLP leader stressed that visible and tangible steps towards restoration of statehood were still awaited.

“In such matters, there may have been shortcomings in coordination and mutual understanding. But now we must move forward with clarity and collective resolve,” he said.

Mir further noted that people across Jammu and Kashmir, irrespective of political affiliation, feel aggrieved as many of the powers that should be vested in the elected government and legislators are still lacking.

He also referred to the Chief Minister’s remarks about administrative challenges and said such developments affect governance and public perception at multiple levels.

At the same time, Mir acknowledged the government’s efforts in employment generation despite constraints. He said around 7,000 people were provided jobs in 2025 and recruitment for 30,000 to 32,000 additional posts is underway.

“In such difficult circumstances, filling nearly 40,000 vacancies is no small achievement,” he said, while pointing out that several critical sectors, particularly health, continue to face acute staff shortages despite having adequate infrastructure.

Concluding his remarks, Mir reiterated that restoration of statehood remains the foremost political aspiration of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and can only be achieved through a united, consensus-driven approach that sends a strong and collective message to the Centre.