Chief Minister and Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the unity of Jammu and Kashmir is non-negotiable and warned that demands for bifurcation were against the interests of the Jammu region.
Addressing the concluding session of the two-day NC Block Presidents’ Convention in Jammu, Omar said, “As long as the plough-bearing flag of the National Conference continues to fly across Jammu and Kashmir, no power on earth will dare attempt to divide the region on regional or religious lines.”
The convention, chaired by NC President Dr Farooq Abdullah, brought together party leaders and workers to discuss political, developmental and organisational issues.
Highlighting what he described as his government’s pro-people and pro-Jammu initiatives, Omar Abdullah cited measures such as increased ration quotas, free bus rides for women, enhanced pensions, free land for landslide victims and the restoration of the historic Darbar Move. He said initiatives in tourism, roads, healthcare, education and recruitment were helping put Jammu back on the path of development.
Taking a dig at BJP leaders, the Chief Minister said those who opposed the Darbar Move or celebrated the closure of a medical college could not claim to be Jammu’s well-wishers. He said divisive politics had harmed the region in the past and would continue to do so.
Reiterating his opposition to the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar targeted Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, describing the demand as politically motivated. “If he wants to be Chief Minister, why only Jammu and not J&K? If ambition drives him so much, let him contest Jammu municipal elections,” he said.
Omar Abdullah also remarked that BJP leaders’ political ambitions would not extend beyond Kanak Mandi and Raghunath Bazar, asserting that people of Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal would not support divisive agendas. He said such politics would harm Jammu’s interests, which the National Conference would continue to protect.
Referring to the region’s political history, Omar said the National Conference had consistently defended secularism. “Despite being a Muslim-majority region, the people of Jammu and Kashmir chose to align with a secular India and remain steadfast despite persistent propaganda from across the border,” he said.
