Pressure is mounting for a resolution to be moved in the assembly when it meets next week for its maiden sitting to demand 'restoration of Article 370 and Article 35A' as committed in the National Conference's election manifesto, reveals Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir affairs.
The row broke out after a private television news agency attributed the excerpts of the article shared by the NC leader to him.
Union Minister and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday ruled out any problems with ally Congress in Jammu and Kashmir.
'We have lots of expectations from Omar Abdullah. He is dynamic, very sharp, intelligent and has the zeal to work for the people. He has a fire in him and he wants to do something concrete for the people. Besides, he is soft-spoken, not arrogant and has tonnes of patience,' says Abdul Rahim Rather
'Who are Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti to issue certificates?'
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah has convened a meeting at his residence on Thursday for chalking out the future course of action on 'Gupkar Declaration' with regard to the special status of Jammu and Kashmir which was revoked by the Centre last year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday appreciated Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for taking up the broom and cleaning a street in Srinagar, saying it was a "wonderful effort" which will strengthen the 'Swachh Bharat' campaign.
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.
The BJP on Monday took strong exception to remarks by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over the hanging of Afzal Guru, alleging that he was speaking the language of separatists and trying to provoke the people of the Valley.
The Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency in Jammu and Kashmir will vote on Monday, May 20.
This is first picture of 49-year-old Omar to have appeared in public domain after five months of captivity. It showed him smiling in a snow covered jacket and sporting an unkempt greyish beard.
This is the second time that J&K team has defeated the 42-time champions in the latter's backyard.
A chopper carrying Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday made an emergency landing in Kishtwar district shortly after take-off due to a technical problem, but no one was injured in the incident.
Around 2000 runners, including 59 internationals athletes, took part in the inaugural Kashmir Marathon in Srinagar.
A delegation of diplomats from 16 countries, including the United States, Norway and Singapore, on Wednesday observed the ongoing assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
Transcript of the Omar Abdullah chat.
"The group should not be of bureaucrats or retired officers but comprised of political persons having full knowledge of Jammu and Kashmir. The team should come with open mind and interact with people in Kashmir, Jammu, Leh and Kargil," Omar Abdullah said in the state assembly.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a devastating cloudburst in Kishtwar district that claimed 60 lives and injured over 100. Abdullah expressed condolences and assured assistance, while also questioning potential administrative lapses.
Once a trusted lieutenant of the former National Conference president Omar Abdullah and his political advisor during his tenure as chief minister, Rana holds considerable sway among Muslims, particularly the Gujjar community in Jammu.
'We were told that we would be taken care of when we reached Delhi. But we did not find a single Kashmiri government official who could guide us.'
There is a limit to ignoring genuine aspirations of the people and suppressing their legitimate voice in running the affairs of the state, notes Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir affairs.
'The Pahalgam terror attacks and the conflict that followed were a big blow to local tourism.' 'And just when things were starting to go back to normal, the floods, caused by heavy rain, spoiled all chances of a bounce-back this season.'
It provides all-weather access to Sonamarg, replacing the avalanche-prone Z-turn road.
'If the country felt very strongly about the BJP, then why did the country not put money where the mouth is?'
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday made it clear that reduction of footprints of security forces and phased withdrawal only needs a "courageous statesman" and not referendum.
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.
The People's Democratic Party and the National Conference -- the two Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) partners in Jammu and Kashmir -- will be taking on each other on the three Lok Sabha seats in the valley.
Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday backed Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah saying Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani had attacked the CM without getting the "real context" of the remarks made by him on the issue of the state's accession to India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar upon his arrival from Saudi Arabia to take stock of the situation following the terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir. The meeting also included Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. The attack, which killed at least 26 people, including tourists from the UAE and Nepal, has sparked nationwide shock and outrage.
Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy and president of the ruling National Conference Dr Farooq Abdullah filed his nomination papers from the prestigious Srinagar parliamentary constituency on Monday. The constituency goes to polls on April 30.
Murli Manohar Joshi demanded an apology from Omar Abdullah for saying that Jammu and Kashmir had not merged with India but it agreed to be with India under the accession instrument which had the clearance of the then Viceroy of India Lord Mountbatten.
Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP accused National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah of leaving them "no option".
In a statement, the state public health engineering minister, Taj Mohi-ud-Din on Monday said that 'the coalition government led by Omar Abdullah will continue its full term'.
"If they are a terror organisation, why are you (GoI) talking to them? If they are not a terror organisation, why are you banning their bank accounts. Why are you not recognizing their government? Make up your mind," he said.
Mantoo said the decision to meet the Abdullahs was taken at an emergent meeting of senior functionaries and district presidents of the Jammu Province two days ago, soon after restrictions on the movement of Jammu-based National Conference leaders were lifted.
Taking to Twitter to express his anger, Abdullah, who is also the vice president of the National Conference, said that he would be taking legal action against the Chhattisgarh chief minister for his comments made during an interview to a prominent English newspaper.
Omar Abdullah said that if The Kashmir Files was a commercial movie, no one has an issue, but if the film makers claim that it is based on reality, then the facts are the other way round.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday flayed Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's remark that it wanted to incite violence in the state by hoisting the national flag at Lal Chowk, saying its aim was to promote national sovereignty and it did not need a certificate from the leader. "Despite committing a blunder-a-day and making arrogant statements, Omar Abdullah continues to head a government supported by the Congressm" said BJP.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, who underwent a successful kidney transplant in London, was making good recovery on Monday.
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.
