May 29, 2025: "To prevent a recurrence of the Pahalgam incident, the Union government, elected government, and LG must cooperate."
Gulmarg: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stated on Wednesday that he has brought up the topic at the most recent meeting of the NITI Aayog governing council and that the Pahalgam incident on April 22 has not stopped the discussion on restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
"No, absolutely not. In this north Kashmir tourist resort, 52 kilometers from Srinagar, Abdullah told reporters, "If you were to take out the formal speech that circulated in the NITI Aayog meeting, you will find a categorical mention for return of statehood in that … which was given to the Honourable Prime Minister and all the members of the governing council of the NITI Aayog."
Abdullah was answering a question about whether the Pahalgam terror attack had influenced discussions about giving Jammu and Kashmir its own state again.
Therefore, the discussion about statehood has not stopped. I was only opposed to discussing statehood during the special session of the assembly for Jammu and Kashmir. However, that does not imply that the discussion is over. "The discussion is still going on," he stated.
The chief minister, who presided over a conference here on the topic of tourism revival, stated that Kashmiris should be the ones visiting the valley's tourist attractions before expecting visitors from other regions of the nation to return.
"These locations ought to have lively activity and publicity. To get things back to normal, I have urged the education minister to start school and college picnics," he stated.
In addition to senior civil administration officials, the meeting was attended by the senior superintendent of police in Baramulla, the deputy inspector general of police in North Kashmir, and the inspector general of police in Kashmir.
Abdullah presided over a meeting of his council of ministers in Pahalgam, south Kashmir, on Tuesday.
Meetings outside the guarded Civil Secretariat are intended to foster a sense of trust and security among the populace.
"Our goal is to convey the idea that Jammu and Kashmir is prepared for tourism," Abdullah stated.
Additionally, he stated that the attack that killed 26 tourists should not be attributed to Kashmiris by those in other places.
"This act was not carried out by the people of Kashmir. It was not done for our benefit or with our consent. However, what will we do if you boycott and punish the people of Kashmir? For this reason, I ask the Center to take this seriously and employ the investigative agencies to look into and put an end to this campaign," he stated.
He stated that the cabinet had made a decision regarding a memorial for the victims of the Pahalgam assault and had given the Roads and Buildings Department the task of creating a specific proposal.
"In terms of memorial design, the R&B department has been instructed to solicit expressions of interest. We will proceed when the time comes," he continued.
Abdullah expressed gratitude for the arrival of tourism delegations from around the nation to evaluate the conditions for a resurgence of tourism in Kashmir.
According to him, certain tourist attractions are currently completely closed, while others are only partially closed.
This became mandatory after April 22. The list has to be reviewed gradually. There was a distinction between this incidence and previous ones. Individuals showed up to demonstrate on their own. "They denounced it," he stated.
Abdullah added that since Jammu and Kashmir is a Union Territory, the elected administration is not in charge of maintaining security or law and order.
"Who is responsible for it? The Lieutenant Governor. Thus, it is evident that three sets of power centers must work together to make sure everything runs well. I can encourage travel, build the necessary infrastructure, and make sure visitors have a positive experience, but the LG currently has the authority to protect visitors' safety.