Stressing on "progressively" decreasing the footprints of security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said conciliation and dialogue will always remain the best medium for seeking a solution to all contentious issues.
National Conference president Omar Abdullah is all set to become the next chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir with his father Farooq Abdullah and the party clearing his name to head a coalition with the Congress after a night of confusion. 38-year-old Omar, whose father and party patron Farooq was projected as the chief ministerial candidate during campaigning, will travel to New Delhi for talks with Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Pakistan's drone strikes and mortar shelling targeted six locations in Jammu, including the densely populated Rehari Colony, leaving one person injured and causing widespread damage. Residents described scenes of devastation and expressed fear, while others voiced defiance and called for action against Pakistan. The attacks, which occurred early Saturday, have been condemned by Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as the "worst targeting of civilians in Jammu city since 1971."
The magisterial probe ordered by the Jammu and Kashmir government into the death of the prominent ruling National Conference worker Haji Mohammad Yusuf has exonerated state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, holding that 'Haji had died of natural death'.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday discussed the controversial arrest of alleged militant Syed Liyaqat Shah with Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde. Liyaqat was arrested by the Delhi police while he was returning from Pakistan to surrender before the Jammu and Kashmir police under the rehabilitation policy of the state government for militants.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday made a fresh appeal to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to help the government in restoring normalcy and said he will fight politically and administratively forces hell bent on disturbing peace.
Earlier in the day, Omar accused PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed of 'shutting his eyes' to the sex scandal when it first surfaced in 2006 as his own people were involved.
Law Minister Salman Khurshid on Friday dismissed reports of a tiff between Rahul Gandhi and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over empowering sarpanches in the state but insisted that they should be given power across the country "without any exception".
"The proof of the pudding is in the eating," Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Sunday, emphasizing that he would love to see what Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will do to improve ties with India.
The last Friday prayers of Ramzan (Jumatul Vida) were not allowed to be held at the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar.
Commenting on state Congress president Saifuddin Soz's statement, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said he will hold talks with the alliance party over plans to withdraw the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Soz had slammed Abdullah for not consulting the Congress or the home minister on the AFSPA issue. "I am not going to react to what Professor Saifuddin Soz has said. As a chief minister, I am well aware of my responsibilities," said Omar.
As the crisis that rocked the Kashmir valley shows signs of easing, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday advocated a dialogue between the Centre and "everybody" in the state "who is willing to talk".
The tragedy struck the family on May 7 when they found themselves in the middle of intense Pakistani shelling at their rented accommodation in Poonch which was badly hit by the cross-border shelling.
Immediately after Modi delivered his speech, Omar merely tweeted "finally" but, in a subsequent tweet, voiced his disagreement with Modi's view.
Maintaining that peace along the borders is in interest of both India and Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday asked Islamabad to act responsibly to ensure that there is no violation of ceasefire.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah while congratulating the former Pakistan prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharief for his electoral victory, reminded him of the initiative he took during his earlier premiership to restore friendship with India.
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.
In the backdrop of the recent ceasefire violations by Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said India had the right to respond to them.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called on Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday morning and discussed with him the current situation in the state.
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.
Voicing concern at the heavy shelling in border areas, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said no one in India was in favour of war with Pakistan but friendship cannot be a one-sided affair.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over phone and briefed him on the law and order situation in the Valley.
"The rotation issue did come up during the discussion but Congress President Sonia Gandhi was kind enough to understand the point of view that rotation was damaging to the state and created uncertainty and confusion," Omar told reporters in New Delhi when asked if there would be a set-up similar to the one in the previous Congress-Peoples Democratic Party government in J&K
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has complained to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh against the army's public criticism of him and his government, following which Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General B S Jaswal has tendered an apology. The controversy arose after the army's Northern Command based in Udhampur issued a press release on the encounter that took place on November 29 on the outskirts of Srinagar.
Army chief General V K Singh arrived in Srinagar on Monday on a two day visit to the Kashmir Valley.
The attack, which took place near a heavily guarded complex housing All India Radio and Doordarshan Kendra near the Tourist Reception Centre, comes a day after security forces eliminated a top Pakistani commander of Lashkar-e-Tayiba in the Khanyar locality of downtown Srinagar.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had a miraculous escape on Tuesday night when the engine of his official vehicle caught fire filling the entire jeep with smoke.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah refused to term the latest militancy incident at Lal Chowk as a suicide attack saying it was just a confrontation between the security forces and militants on the run.
Expressing concern on the shocking revelations made by David Headley implicating the Inter Services Intelligence with 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has urged the Central government not to suspend the composite dialogue with Pakistan.
'Anybody who says one critical word can be branded as somebody who's glorifying terrorism.'
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said he would discuss the issue of providing security to panchayat members at the next meeting of the Unified Headquarters to ensure their safety and smooth functioning.
Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday asked border villages residents, who were evacuated to safer places in view of cross border shelling by Pakistan, not to rush back to homes as they are yet to sanitise and clear these areas of any unexplored shells.
The National Conference president also extended an invitation to the Mirwaiz and Mehbooba for a separate meeting.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said he would raise the issues of partial revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) during the next internal security meeting in Delhi.
Asking the Centre to "act strong" with China on the Ladakh intrusion issue, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said dealing on such matters should be unambiguous and similar in the case of both Pakistan and China. "The Union government should give clear-cut message to China on the intrusion issue. These kind of situations have always put people living in frontier areas under difficulties, besides hampering development process," he said.
An Army vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a gorge near SK Payen in the north Kashmir district, they said.
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.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who made a conditional resignation, skipped office and the assembly on Wednesday, awaiting the Governor's decision on his offer to quit.
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.
