A chance meeting between Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union minister Kiren Rijiju at the Tulip Garden in Srinagar has sparked a political storm, with opposition parties accusing the National Conference of laying out a red carpet for the BJP leader in the aftermath of the Waqf Amendment Act. While NC sources termed the interaction as a purely coincidental encounter, opposition parties like the PDP and Peoples' Conference condemned the meeting, accusing the NC of surrendering to the BJP. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, passed by Parliament last week, aims to streamline the management of Waqf properties with provisions to safeguard heritage sites and promote social welfare.
Visuals of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah scaling the gate of the Naqshband Sahib graveyard and jostling with securitymen deployed there have gone viral.
Abdullah emphasised the 24x7 model of politics pursued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his team, and said that "no sooner has one election finished, they've already moved into the next territory... We will move into those states two months before the elections. We will be lucky if we sew up our electoral alliances before the last date of filing nominations".
National Conference president Omar Abdullah on Sunday evening met Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra in the winter capital Jammu and staked claim to form the government. Omar was earlier chosen as the leader of the NC legislature party and state Congress president Saif-ud-Din Soz and another senior party leader Chowdhary Mohammad Aslam met Vohra and handed over a letter pledging the party's support to the NC.
Overall, the official data shows that over 7.85 crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir from 2023 to 2025, while over 4.76 crore tourists visited the Union Territory during 2016-18.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister designate Omar Abdullah left for New Delhi, on Thursday to join senior leaders of the National Conference, to work out the modalities of the coalition government with their Congress counterparts.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has hailed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the decision to stick to the scheduled meeting with his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif, despite another attempt by militants to derail the talks through a fresh attack.
The opposition Peoples' Democratic Party and Peoples' Conference targeted the ruling National Conference over the meeting, and accused it of surrendering to the Bharatiya Janata Party without even a pretence over the passage of the Waqf act.
The observations came after counsel for the Centre and the J-K administration informed the court that Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was appearing in the matter, is arguing in another court.
The Jammu and Kashmir government announces plans to introduce nine new tourist destinations and reopen sites closed after the Pahalgam terror attack, aiming to revive and expand the region's tourism sector.
A squad from the Jammu and Kashmir Resident Commissioner's office broke the outer gate of the bungalow and were taking out her belongings.
The delayed timing of J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's admission has more to do with deflecting the thrust of the Opposition attack on the prime minister and Union home minister during the monsoon session of Parliament, points out Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir affairs.
Former Chief Justice of India T S Thakur has decided to skip the book release function of former R&AW chief A S Dulat's book, "The Chief Minister and The Spy", citing the political storm over certain parts of the book concerning National Conference president Farooq Abdullah. Thakur stated that the controversy and its political overtones would be an embarrassment for him, given his long association with the Abdullah family and his desire to remain apolitical. He also noted that Farooq Abdullah has publicly "disowned, if not denounced" the statements attributed to him in the book. The book release function was scheduled for Friday, April 18, 2020.
The Jammu and Kashmir government will start functioning from the civil secretariat from Thursday, according to an official statement.
Congress rebel Satish Sharma, who defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party's Rajeev Sharma by nearly 7,000 votes and relegated his former party's heavyweight Tara Chand to the third position in the Chhamb seat, has found a place in the Omar Abdullah government, representing the Jammu region in the dispensation.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah strongly criticized linking Jammu and Kashmir's political future to acts of terror, asserting that Pakistan cannot influence decisions on the region's statehood through terrorism. He announced a signature campaign to press for the restoration of statehood.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered the closure of Darbar Move offices in Srinagar on October 31, following Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's announcement to restore the tradition. The Darbar Move, which involves shifting government offices between Srinagar and Jammu, was scrapped in 2021 but is now being reinstated.
Bhartiya Janata Party's top leadership has been trying to avoid queries on whether Payal Singh, wife of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, is joining the party. Omar and Payal been estranged for a while now. Payal is living separately in New Delhi at Akbar Road and is trying to find a footing in the political sphere.
The officials said the SSG will be "right-sized" by reducing the number of the elite force to the "bare minimum".
Political parties and residents in Jammu and Kashmir celebrate the Union territory's Ranji team's first-ever title win, praising the team's resilience and unity.
NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule acknowledges the role of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in her four Lok Sabha election victories, refraining from blaming them despite being part of an opposition coalition.
Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a 30-year-old pony ride operator, was killed while trying to protect tourists from terrorists in Pahalgam, Kashmir. He was shot dead while trying to snatch a weapon from one of the terrorists. The attack claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited Pahalgam to offer condolences to the families of the victims and praised Shah's bravery. Shah was laid to rest in his ancestral village with hundreds of mourners attending.
Jammu & Kashmir extend their commanding lead to 477 runs, now 186/4 after 57 overs.
Following reports of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death, widespread protests erupted in Kashmir, with demonstrators expressing strong anti-US and anti-Israel sentiments.
Against the backdrop of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah slamming him on the issue of revocation of special status to the state, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Friday advised him not to use words like "cheating and deceiving" and clarified that his party has always been opposed to Article 370.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah was on Monday sworn in as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir
Mixing humour with political resolve, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday used the flagging-off ceremony of the first train to Kashmir by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Katra to subtly but clearly articulate his government's demand for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has stated that the conversation regarding the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir has not been stalled. He claims the issue was raised at the recent NITI Aayog governing council meeting, and the formal speech distributed at the meeting includes a mention of the return of statehood. Abdullah also addressed concerns about the impact of the Pahalgam terror attack on tourism, emphasizing the importance of local Kashmiris visiting tourist spots first to revive the industry and ensure a sense of security.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah is taking over as the president of the ruling National Conference this week.Dr Abdullah, who won the state assembly polls from two constituencies, will replace his son and J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as the party's president.National Conference, which emerged as a single largest party in the state assembly elections, is ruling the state in coalition with the Congress.
"Azad saab (Ghulam Nabi Azad) had spoken on behalf of all of us that we don't accept this timeline -- we don't accept delimitation, election, statehood, we want delimitation, statehood and then election. If you want to hold polls, you'll have to restore statehood first," said Omar Abdullah.
The Delhi high court on Tuesday dismissed National Conference leader Omar Abdullah's plea seeking divorce from his estranged wife on grounds of cruelty, saying there was no merit in his appeal.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Srinagar to review the security situation in Kashmir following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, including tourists. Shah chaired a high-level meeting of security officials, including those from the Army, CRPF, and police. The attack, claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow group of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group, is the deadliest in the valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike.
The Congress will be a part of the government, Omar said, emerging from a meeting with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Tuesday. The meeting took place in the backdrop of both National Conference and the People's Democratic Party initially showing the inclination to form the government in the state and Congress having a rethink on whether it should support NC or PDP.
PDP leader Iltija Mufti defends a cricketer who displayed the Palestine flag on his helmet, criticizing restrictions on freedom of expression in Jammu and Kashmir and accusing the BJP of imposing Hindutva ideology.
This restoration, according to the officials, is seen as a crucial step towards initiating a healing process, reinstating constitutional rights and safeguarding the unique identity of the region's residents.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed concern about the lack of clarity regarding the INDIA bloc's leadership and agenda, suggesting the alliance should be dissolved if it was only formed for parliamentary elections. He called for a meeting of the alliance members after the Delhi Assembly elections to discuss the bloc's future and decide on a collective strategy. Abdullah also highlighted the need for a clear vision and leadership within the INDIA bloc. His remarks come amid speculation about the alliance's future and its ability to effectively challenge the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has cleared a resolution passed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah-led cabinet urging the Centre to restore the statehood to the Union territory, officials said on Saturday.
The National Conference on Sunday ruled out joining the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance and dismissed as baseless a media report in this regard.
The former Jammu-Kashmir chief minister was subjected to a "secondary immigration check" upon his arrival in the United States.
The bullet-proof Army vehicle, carrying a total of 17 personnel, was heading towards a high altitude post when its driver lost control and the vehicle plunged into a 200-foot-deep gorge.
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