POK would have sought reunion: Omar Abdullah's special status pitch on I-Day

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday renewed his demand for the restoration of special status and statehood, claiming that had Article 370 not been revoked in 2019, people in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir would today have been protesting to reunite with Jammu and Kashmir.Addressing the official Independence Day function at Srinagar’s Bakshi Stadium, Abdullah said the decision taken by Jammu and Kashmir’s leaders around eight decades ago to accede to India had proved to be the right one.“If our situation had not been altered in 2019, the people of that part of Jammu and Kashmir across the LoC would have been protesting to reunite with us,” he said.Abdullah argued that restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional protections and statehood was necessary not only for the region but also for strengthening India’s federal structure. ‘DECISION TO JOIN INDIA WAS RIGHT’Paying tribute to National Conference founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and those who resisted the Pakistan-backed tribal invasion in 1947, Abdullah said thousands had sacrificed their lives to protect Jammu and Kashmir before the Indian Army arrived.“When I see the situation across the border and the Line of Control, I realise that our ancestors who said ‘hamlavar khabardar, hum Kashmiri hain tayyar’ were right,” he said. “I realise that 80 years ago, the decision our leaders took for us was the right decision,” Abdullah added.He also recalled National Conference leader Master Abdul Aziz, who was killed in Muzaffarabad while trying to resist the invasion.Referring to people living in PoK, Abdullah said India continued to regard them as its own and pointed out that seats remained reserved for PoK representatives in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.‘WHAT WAS TAKEN AWAY SHOULD BE RETURNED’Abdullah said honouring those who sacrificed their lives also meant fulfilling what he described as their unfinished aspirations.“To honour that martyrdom, we will realise the dreams they left us as their legacy, whether it is getting back the special status, restoring constitutional guarantees for Jammu and Kashmir, regaining statehood, or leading a new era of progress,” he said.Calling democracy and federalism the two strongest pillars of the country, Abdullah said Jammu and Kashmir should be the starting point for strengthening federalism.“Our country is a union of states. To save and strengthen federalism, we must start with Jammu and Kashmir. Whatever was snatched from us should be returned so that our identity does not just remain in words, but is put into practice,” he said.CM WARNS AGAINST CENTRALISATIONThe Chief Minister also criticised what he described as the growing centralisation of powers at the cost of states.He cited national entrance examinations such as NEET and JEE, arguing that while centralised tests could be justified for national institutions, state-run institutions should retain greater control over admissions.“When the powers of states are hollowed out, the fallout is seen on the streets,” Abdullah said.The National Conference leader linked the issue to recent student protests in Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir, arguing that public unrest reflected wider concerns over the erosion of state-level autonomy.- EndsPublished By: Aprameya RaoPublished On: Aug 15, 2026 17:53 IST