National Conference leader Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, the first elected government in the Union Territory since 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated.
Meanwhile, police did not allow journalists to gather near National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and vice-president Omar Abdullah's residence at Gupkar here, officials said.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed concerns about the Congress party's leadership role within the INDIA bloc, raising questions about their ability to justify their position. Abdullah highlighted a sense of disquiet among some allies, who feel the Congress isn't doing enough to earn its leadership position. While praising Sonia Gandhi's leadership, he also criticized the alliance's lack of consistent engagement and called for more structured communication to address potential disagreements. Abdullah's comments suggest underlying tensions within the opposition alliance, particularly regarding the Congress's electoral performance and seat distribution strategies.
Here are glimpses of famous faces who got their fingers inked.
Virtually endorsing Omar Abdullah for the chief ministership, National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah on Sunday said that his son could better serve the people of Jammu and Kashmir and he himself would prefer to remain a member of Parliament."Why not? Omar is a young man. If he could serve better, why not," Abdullah said when asked if Omar could be the choice of the National Conference for the chief minister's post
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has praised Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his governance, Union Minister and President of National Conference Farooq Abdullah said on Thursday.
Supporting Omar Abdullah's demand for withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act from some areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said the chief minister is "the boss" in the state and the Centre should take his views on the controversial Act.
A massive controversy is raging in Jammu and Kashmir after a plaque with the Ashoka emblem was vandalised in the Hazratbal shrine as parties on Saturday accused Waqf Board chief Darakshan Andrabi of hurting religious sentiments by using the national emblem in the mosque and demanded registration of a criminal case and her immediate removal.
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.
'Right now, we have no relationship with Pakistan. And the relationship with China is not great.'
Omar urged everyone who came in contact with his father recently to get tested.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday said that the 'unelected nominees of New Delhi locked up the elected representatives' of the people of Jammu and Kashmir after prominent leaders from ruling and opposition parties were not allowed to leave their houses to prevent them from visiting the graveyard of 1931 martyrs in Srinagar.
National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah Friday challenged the Bharatiya Janata Party to contest Lok Sabha polls in the Kashmir Valley, saying he will quit politics if the national party's candidates do not lose their security deposits.
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.
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."
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.
Designer duo Shivan and Narresh, who are facing backlash for displaying 'obscene' garments at a fashion show in Gulmarg last week, have said their sole intention was to celebrate creativity and regret any hurt caused by the event during the holy month of Ramzan.
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.
Political parties, cutting across affiliations and ideologies, Friday welcomed the Kashmir rail link inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, hoping for a boost in trade and tourism in the valley.
Modi also met the construction workers who worked meticulously amid harsh conditions to complete the tunnel.
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.
Abdullah had tested positive for coronavirus on March 30 after which he was admitted to a hospital as a precautionary measure.
It's not the first time that fans of the Samurai Blues have cleaned up stadia after matches.
For a year I did my best to dodge this damn virus but it's finally caught up with me. I tested positive for #COVID?19 this afternoon, Omar tweeted.
They said the meeting was necessitated after "some differences" cropped up in seat-sharing arrangement during the talks between the local leadership of the parties.
Re-elected National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Monday said boycotting the panchayat polls in 2018 was "a huge mistake" and the party must contest every future election in Jammu and Kashmir.
National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah, his only son Omar Abdullah and Omar's sons Zamir Abdullah and Zahir Abdullah (both first time voters) cast their votes in Srinagar on Monday, May 13, 2024.
"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.
Chief minister-designate Omar Abdullah met Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to present letters of support from coalition partners, shortly after the Congress officially extended its backing to the party.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday met Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, who had also met Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi earlier. Pakistani officials said that during the 30-minute meeting, Farooq briefed Zardari about the All Parties Hurriyat Conference's perspective of the ground realities in Kashmir.Earlier, the Pakistan foreign minister met Farooq, ahead of his meeting with his Indian counterpart S M Krishna on Monday.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday termed the provisional attachment order of properties belonging to his father by the Enforcement Directorate as "baseless" and wondered how an ancestral property could be seen as proceeds of "crime".
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, who underwent a successful kidney transplant in London, was making good recovery on Monday.
Omar, presently kept in detention at Hari Nivas, is likely to be shifted as the J-K administration plans to use the place to host a ministerial delegation from the Centre.
"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 last Friday prayers of Ramzan (Jumatul Vida) were not allowed to be held at the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar.
Union Minister and National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said that Pakistan might disrupt the fragile peace process in Jammu and Kashmir. "The turbulent days are slowly getting over. But I want to tell you that we are very scared. I am still scared of my neighbour (Pakistan) and it is not wrong because a very dangerous situation is developing. May God bless them with wisdom and strengthen democracy (in Pakistan)," Farooq told the media at an event in Delhi.
'This is the "naya/new J&K" after Aug 2019. We get locked up in our homes with no explanation. It's bad enough they've locked my father (a sitting MP) & me in our home, they've locked my sister & her kids in their home as well'
All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Omar Farooq has reacted sharply to recommendations made by a high-level committee favouring autonomy for the state. "The agenda of Hurriyat has never been autonomy, our agenda is freedom, so we didn't want to give any comment on it," he added."We accept only that solution in which Pakistan, India and the people of Kashmir are involved. Any solution between two parties is not acceptable," he said.
'The BJP has killed public anger. They have killed people's self-respect.'
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