Jammu and Kashmir: Supreme Court’s shade on statehood rankles Omar Abdullah

Today, 15 August 2025, for India's 79th Independence Day celebrations, Omar Abdullah became the first elected chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir in eight years to unfurl the national flag at Bakshi stadium, Srinagar — even as the loss of statehood continues to rankle.

The last CM to preside over this most important annual function was PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, who led the state last in 2017. The PDP–BJP coalition government fell after the saffron party withdrew its support in June 2018 — and imposed Governor's rule in the erstwhile state.

There was no elected government for over a year, as Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into two union territories in August 2019, following the reading down of Article 370, which gave the erstwhile state special status within the Indian Constitution.

As a result, not a chief minister but the governor of the state unfurled the national flag for Independence Day and Republic Day in 2018 and 2019, and the honours were done by the lieutenant governor of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (sans Ladakh now) from 2020 to 2024.

Today, a rueful Abdullah recalled that when he himself last spoke on such an occasion as chief minister, "We had our own identity in the country, a Constitution, a flag... and statehood."

Referring also to an observation made by the Supreme Court yesterday, 14 August, about the Pahalgam attack during its hearing of a plea on Jammu and Kashmir's statehood, Abdullah said it was unfortunate that the people of the region were being punished for a crime in which they played no role.

"There were unfortunate comments in the Supreme Court that the Pahalgam attack should be considered when statehood is decided. Will the killers of Pahalgam and their masters in the neighbouring country decide whether we will be a state? Every time we will be close to statehood, they will do something to sabotage it. Is this fair? Why are we being punished for the crime we have no role in," he asked.

"Will the decision [on granting statehood] be made by our government and judiciary or by terrorists across the border?" Abdullah asked.

Certainly, beginning with Imran Khan — who was prime minister of Pakistan during the abrogation of Article 370 — Pakistan has indeed used the change of governance in Jammu and Kashmir to harass and criticise India on international forums. Yet, in the aftermath of the 22 April attack killing 26 civilians, mostly tourists, in the Baisaran meadow, Pakistan engaged in nightly cross-border attacks on the same people whose rights it was supposedly wishful of safeguarding during Operation Sindoor.

Meanwhile, as Abdullah continued, "From Kathua to Kupwara, people [of Jammu and Kashmir] came out on their own to protest against the Pahalgam attack. Unfortunately, today we are being punished for the Pahalgam attack," he said.

Therefore, the chief minister announced, he would begin a door-to-door signature campaign to amplify Jammu and Kashmir's demand to statehood — with the signed document to submitted to the Supreme Court for its perusal in eight weeks’ time.

On the need and important of self-governance for Jammu and Kashmir, the Abdullah referred to incidents such as Martyrs' Day, when reportedly the entire state cabinet — comprised of only elected representatives of the people — was locked up to prevent them paying their respects — and which saw the chief minister himself scaling a fence.

The signature campaign, he promised, would cover all 90 assembly constituencies of the union territory.

The Supreme Court has given the central government eight weeks to respond to the petition pleading for statehood.

Therefore, said Abdullah, "From today, we will use these eight weeks to go door to door in all 90 assembly segments for a signature campaign on the restoration of statehood. If people are not ready to sign the document, I will accept defeat," he said.

"We will have to take these voices from our offices to the doors where these decisions are taken," he added.

"We will not rest until our rights are restored — we cannot be denied equality!" posted the ruling Jammu and Kashmir National Conference's official handle on X.

It was, as such, an especially subdued honouring of Independence Day in 2025, with the cultural programmes planned for today — usually one of the main attractions of the function — cancelled by the chief minister yesterday as a mark of respect to those who lost their lives or were injured in the Kishtwar flash floods yesterday, 14 August, Thursday.