Abrar Nabi
Srinagar, Aug 15 : Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said that had the changes made to Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 not taken place, people living on the other side of the Line of Control would have been seeking to reunite with this side, and asserted that those living there continue to be regarded as part of Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing the Independence Day function at Bakshi Stadium here, Omar also recalled the role of Kashmiris in fighting the tribal raiders in 1947, saying people of Jammu and Kashmir resisted the attackers even before the Indian Army reached the region.
“If our situation had not changed in 2019, then the people of that part of Jammu and Kashmir would have been eager to reunite with us,” Omar said as per Kashmir News Service (KNS).
“That part of Jammu and Kashmir is ours. We consider those people as our own, not strangers, not outsiders,” he said.
Referring to the vacant seats reserved in the J&K Legislative Assembly for representatives from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said they had been kept with the hope that one day people from that part would be able to occupy them.
“Even today, in the Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir, seats are kept for them, with the hope that one day, those people will be able to use these empty seats,” he said.
Omar said the contribution of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in resisting the tribal invasion of 1947 should be remembered while marking Independence Day.
“When we talk about the freedom of the country, when we talk about 15th August in Jammu and Kashmir, then without the greatest leader of Jammu and Kashmir, the most courageous person, Baba-e-Qaum Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, this opportunity would be incomplete,” he said.
He said people in Jammu and Kashmir had fought against the tribal forces and others who entered from across the border before the Indian Army reached the region.
“Before the Army of India reached here, there were people of Jammu and Kashmir who fought against the tribes, who fought against the enemies sent from across the border,” Omar said.
Recalling the mobilisation at the time, he said people raised the slogan, “Hamlawar Khabardaar, hum Kashmiri hai tayar”, across cities, villages, streets and homes.
“Those who had weapons, they used weapons, those who did not have weapons, they showed fake guns and fought the intruders,” he said.
Omar said thousands of people sacrificed their lives during the fighting.
He also recalled Master Abdul Aziz, a National Conference leader who was killed while resisting the tribal invasion.
“Today, I remember such a person, in whom Master Abdul Aziz, who was a leader of the National Conference, who was mercilessly killed, to stop this very attack, to stop these very tribes,” he said.
Omar said the present situation across the LoC had reinforced his belief that the decision taken by Jammu and Kashmir’s leadership 80 years ago was correct.
“When I see the situation across the border and across the LoC today, then I realise that 80 years ago, the decision our leaders took for us was the right decision,” he said.
He said the people who resisted the attackers and the sacrifices made during that period were also right.
“The people who raised this slogan, the attackers, the informers, they were right. The sacrifices they made, those sacrifices were right,” he said.
Linking the situation across the LoC with the changes made in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, Omar said that without those changes, the people on the other side would have been seeking reunification.
Speakung on democracy and federalism, Omar described them as country’s main strengths.
He said protecting and strengthening democracy was a responsibility, but argued that strengthening India’s federal structure was equally important.
“Our country is a Union of States,” he said, adding that federalism should not remain limited to words.
He said Jammu and Kashmir should be the starting point for strengthening federalism.
“So today, when we talk about federalism, to strengthen that federalism, we should start with Jammu and Kashmir,” Omar said.
“Whatever was snatched from us should be returned to us, so that this federalism, this identity, should not just remain in words, it should be made practical,” he said.
He, however, said strengthening federalism should not mean only restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir but ensuring that all States have adequate powers.
Omar said federalism was weakened when central agencies interfered in matters falling within the domain of States or when the powers of States were reduced.
“When central agencies start interfering in the affairs of states, then federalism is harmed,” Omar said.
“When the powers of states are eroded, they are made hollow, then federalism is harmed,” he added.
Omar also raised the issue of centralised entrance examinations and the role of States in admissions to educational institutions.
He said national-level examinations were justified for national institutions such as IITs, IIMs and NIFT, but argued that State institutions should have the right to conduct their own examinations and admissions.
“For national institutions, national exams are absolutely justified,” he said.
“But the institutions of the state, the educational institutions of the state, they should have their own right to give exams and admission there,” Omar said.
He linked the issue to protests by young people, saying that changes in the examination system had contributed to protests in Delhi.
Referring to Jammu and Kashmir, he also recalled protests over the recruitment process and said allegations of irregularities had led to an inquiry and assurances of corrective action.
Omar said the credibility of recruitment and admission systems was central to maintaining public confidence.
“The reality is that to lose trust in something or a system is a game of minutes. It takes years and years to regain trust,” he said.
He said the recruitment and admission systems in Jammu and Kashmir should be transparent and merit-based.
“It is hoped that in Jammu and Kashmir, be it the admission system, be it the recruitment system, it should be transparent, be it merit-based,” he said.
He said candidates should feel that they had a genuine claim to a job or a seat based on merit.
Omar also asked people to reflect on what had been achieved since Independence and what remained to be done.
He said those who fought for India’s freedom and sacrificed their lives had envisioned an India that would be better than the rest of the world.
“Have we really established that India? If not, then what is left to do?” he asked.
He said the 80th year of Independence provided an opportunity to reflect on the country’s future and determine what needed to be done. (KNS)
