Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Meghwal on Tuesday said that statehood to Jammu and Kashmir would be restored soon, drawing a swift response from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who said he hoped the wait would not be much longer.
After attending a function at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) here, Meghwal told reporters that while it was a “very sensitive issue”, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had stated in the Lok Sabha that J&K’s statehood would be restored.
“You will get it but there is a process for it. I feel you will soon get to hear about a decision in this regard,” Meghwal said.
Reacting to the remarks, Abdullah, who was also present at the function, said, “I heard on the sidelines that the (Union) minister said that we will be hearing good news soon. It has been one and a half years of wait. We hope we do not have to wait much longer.”
The Chief Minister said that no one in Jammu and Kashmir would be satisfied until statehood is restored.
“The process is on, (though) it is taking longer. We were expecting to get it by now but we have not got it yet. We have not given up hope, we are talking to the Centre on it continuously,” he said.
