In an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN's Senior Editor Suhasini Haider, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah admits the lapses in the rehabilitation policy for surrendered militants following the fiasco over the arrest of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Liaqat Ali Shah.
After his tough talk with the army for withdrawing Armed Forces Special Powers Act from parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said his government has the authority to revoke the controversial law and sought a 'workable' solution from the army.
Tata had announced two-pronged strategy to give opportunities to students and entrepreneurs in the Kashmir Valley which includes supporting setting up of venture capital units.
In a teleconference with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who is presently on a visit to India, Omar said that the quality of Indo-Pak relations has great bearings on Jammu and Kashmir and its people as "they get positively or negatively impacted by the nature of the relations between the two neighbouring countries."
The Jammu and Kashmir government attached two senior police officials, including the Inspector General (Security) on Thursday, for lax security arrangements for Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at an Independence day function, during which a suspended head constable hurled a shoe at him.
"I will not be contesting for the post of president any longer. The elections for the post will be held on December 5. It is time for the new generation to take over the responsibilities," Abdullah told PTI.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday told the state assembly that 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's hanging was not 'selective and political' and that 'the course of action regarding similar cases would determine it'.
Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth, Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma and Home Secretary RK Singh were taken by surprise when the Army's Northern Command told them that there had been no consultations on the subject of revocation of the AFSPA even once in 2011. The chief minister's declaration was totally unilateral, the three top secretaries to the Government of India were told
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday underscored the need to achieve parity between the state's Juvenile Justice Act and the National Act.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday said the name of Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah never figured in the 2006 sex scandal case in which two ministers of the then Peoples Democratic Party regime were arrested.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Tuesday asserted that his party would continue its alliance with the Congress party.
Taking a dig at the Peoples' Democratic Party in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Monday that opposition in the state is nervous and worried as they were finding it difficult to cope up with the fact that they were out of power.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said that the tension at the Line of Control and International Border across the state directly impacts the tranquillity and development process.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) from certain areas of the state was in no way an effort to undermine the role of the Army.
Anguished over disruptions in Parliament on the issue of FDI in retail, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the time has come for "no work, no pay" for MPs if minimum hours of business were not transacted .
Sharing the concern of 38 lakh pre-paid mobile phone subscribers hit by the ban on their SIM cards in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said genuine users should not be affected as a small service group did not do proper verification while issuing such cards. Abdullah said he would hold talks with the Centre, including Home Minister P Chidambaram, to resolve the issue as the blanket ban on the use of pre-paid SIM cards is not the answer.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said he will ensure that no person is denied a passport on the basis of his or her relative being involved in subversive activities.
As schools in Kashmir Valley reopened on Monday after over three months, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah asked hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and other separatists not to target children because they are going to schools.
'I have faced 18 hours of darkness daily all my life.'
Hitting back at the Peoples Democratic Party, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday accused its leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed of "shutting his eyes" to the sex scandal when it first surfaced in 2006 as his own people were involved.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN, alleges that the Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to capitalise on the Kishtwar violence for electoral gains. He rejects any role of his Home Minister Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo, who was forced to resign, in the Kishtwar violence, while coming down heavily on BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Narendra Modi.
A joint commission can be the biggest Jammu and Kashmir centric confidence building measure by the two countries for the people of the state, says J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Mukhtar Ahmad reports.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said he was eagerly waiting for the final report of National Investigating Agency (NIA) which is probing role of surrendered Kashmiri militant Liyaqat Shah for allegedly planning a terror attack here.
In the wake of the State Human Rights Commission's findings -- that over 2,000 unidentified bodies are buried in 38 sites in north Kashmir -- Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said there was a need for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to find out the truth about what has happened in the Valley in the last 21 years. "There is a need for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. That commission should be assigned to find answers to the incidents of the last 21 years," he said.
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) is poised to form the first elected government in Jammu and Kashmir, having secured a victory in the assembly elections by securing 49 out of 90 seats on which polls were held for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 five years ago.
As he grapples with a difficult situation in Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has admitted that the recent developments have 'dented' the credibility of his government and his own image, but made it clear that he would not run away as he was not a 'weak person'. He said the stone-pelting incidents and strikes in the valley are "symptoms of a wider problem", which is that people on both sides of the Line of Control have been fed on a 'diet that there is a problem'.
Having defied convention, Kashmir's first all-girls rock band is facing a challenge of online threats and abuses from conservative sections of the society.
Terming the bi-annual shifting of state capital as a "necessary evil", Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday advocated a reverse 'darbar move' so that the government stays with the people when they are facing hardships due to extreme weather.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday wondered where have the Indian troops withdrawn to after the Chinese troops ended their incursions in Ladakh after 19 days.
Home Minister P Chidambaram made a special request to the Bharatiya Janata Party central leadership and its legislature party in Jammu and Kashmir to attend the prime minister's meeting convened to discuss the situation in the state.
Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a 29-year-old Kashmiri pony ride operator, was killed by terrorists in Pahalgam while trying to save tourists from an attack. Shah was the only Kashmiri and Muslim victim of the attack, which saw terrorists demand tourists recite Islamic prayers before shooting them. His brother, Syed Naushad Shah, described Adil as a "righteous" man who ran towards the terrorists to stop them from killing more people. The attack has left a pall of fear over Pahalgam, with tourists fleeing the area and businesses shuttered.
Asked if the party would approach the court for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood, the NC leader said, "I do not want to get into that right now."
Omar Abdullah lost by 204,142 votes; Mehbooba Mufti by 281, 794 votes.
Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said the efforts of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah are to denotify the Disturbed Areas from some places in the state, a move which will pave way for removal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act.
Stung by the death of a student in north Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday directed the power development department to put in all efforts to mitigate the hardships faced by the people in the valley owing to power shortage.
Mehbooba Mufti said she will not contest the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, pointing out that she would not be able to fulfil her party's agenda in the union territory set up even if she were to become the chief minister.
Clearing all confusion, National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah on Monday said he would recommend to his party that his son Omar Abdullah should be the new chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. His remarks assume significance in the wake of his statement on Sunday night that he would like to be the chief minister, which created confusion.
The time is here and now, and the prime minister must visit Kashmir before Independence Day and spell his vision for the state, unilaterally, without fear or favour
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday distanced himself from the WikiLeaks cable emanating from the United States embassy in Delhi relating to alleged human rights violations in Kashmir in 2005 and indirectly blamed the then government led by opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah made a fresh appeal to the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party to attend the all party meet on Monday to discuss the present situation in the Kashmir valley.
