"Talking to lawyers whether some other strategy should be made or not": J-K CM Abdullah on statehood demand

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], September 15 (ANI): Reiterating the demand for statehood, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said that they are discussing with lawyers whether some other “strategy” should be made or not, as the case will again be heard in the Supreme Court in October.

Speaking to the media, CM Abdullah asserted that they have not stopped discussing the statehood demand.

He thanked Nationalist Congress Party (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar for supporting the demand.

“I am thankful, especially to Sharad Pawar sahab, who recently sent a very good letter to the Prime Minister, according to the promise of making Jammu and Kashmir a state again and I had requested all the leaders during the recently concluded Parliament session to help us in this matter,” he said.

“As I had said on 15th August, I was very hopeful that on 15th August, the Prime Minister will fulfill the promise made to us. It did not happen. But we will continue our fight. I am talking to lawyers because this case is to be heard in the Supreme Court in October. Right now, the private parties who are empanelled in this case are pleading. Now we are talking to lawyers about whether some other strategy should be made in this or not,” Omar Abdullah said.

On 5 August 2019, the Centre scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir (with a legislature) and Ladakh (without a legislature).

The Supreme Court of India, on August 14, 2025, heard a plea seeking directions to the Centre for the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Court noted that the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir cannot be ignored while granting statehood and said that the events in Pahalgam cannot be overlooked.

Further, the J-K CM said that the long-delayed Sawalkote power project had suffered due to politics. Still, the government was committed to completing it because of its potential to significantly boost power generation in the Union Territory.

Speaking in Srinagar, Omar said the project had become difficult to restart because of rising costs.

The J-K Chief Minister said, “Sawalkote power project, no one can deny that the project was ruined by wrapping it in politics and now it has become very difficult for us to revive it because the prices have increased a lot. But even then, we are trying to somehow get this project completed because in this, more than 1,100 megawatts of electricity will be generated in Jammu and Kashmir through this project.” (ANI)

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