Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Marks 7th Anniversary of Article 370 and 35A Abrogation

“The woods are lovely, dark & deep. But I have promises to keep. And miles to go before I sleep…” On the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah channelled American poet Robert Frost to convey his sentiments. In his second year as the first CM of the Union Territory, Omar said that in these seven years, “we haven’t forgotten and we haven’t reconciled, far less accepted our current circumstances”. “My party and I remain committed to reversing all that was done to J&K that took away our rights and threatens our identity,” he said. Assembly elections, held in 2024 after a gap of six years since the previous PDP-BJP government fell, had elected Omar’s National Conference to a full majority on the plank of “continuing the fight for restoration of constitutional guarantees” stripped away from the former state. Just after the election, citing the expected administrative difficulties of functioning within a dual power system, Omar had said, “I would like to believe the honourable Prime Minister who has committed to restoring statehood. I don’t recall a speech where he said statehood would be restored only when the BJP is in power, or that if the people of J&K do not vote for the BJP, they will be punished.” That commitment, however, has remained in limbo. Last month, the NC began pushing the Centre on the subject of statehood with a protest in the national capital, which was overshadowed by the Cockroach Janata Party’s intended march to Parliament. Meanwhile, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti also led a demonstration to mark the seven years. “It started with a very dark night on August 4 and that dark night continues,” Mufti told The Indian Express. In 2019, the political leadership of J&K, including former chief minister Farooq Abdullah , elected MLAs and religious leaders, was placed under house arrest and J&K and Ladakh were placed under a communications blockade. While some were charged under the Public Safety Act (PSA), they were all released months later. Mufti called for “peaceful protests” on Wednesday to reaffirm the PDP’s “commitment to restoring the constitutional position of Jammu and Kashmir and resisting the erosion of democratic and federal principles”. People’s Conference chairman Sajad Lone termed the events of August 5, 2019, a “brutal coup” against the people of J&K. In a post on X, Lone said that the day will be “held up with contempt and disdain by the people of J&K, for all times to come”. “The day of disempowerment of the people of J&K. When everything was taken away. Article 370, Article 35 A. And to add salt to the wounds, J&K was relegated to a UT,” he said. Lone said there would soon be a day when the people of J&K would be empowered again as a matter of right, not as a matter of charity.