Omar Abdullah meets Amit Shah to discuss early statehood restoration

NEW DELHI: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah here to discuss a range of key issues, including the early restoration of statehood, officials said.

This is Abdullah’s second meeting with the Union minister after taking over as the first chief minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir which was carved out after the reorganisation of the erstwhile state in August 2019. Abdullah remains optimistic about an early restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and would probably work out a possible timeline.

Besides this issue, the chief minister will also seek clarity on the Transaction of Business Rules (TBR) to get a clear sense of the powers of the elected government over various departments.

On Wednesday, Abdullah said there were a lot of issues, including restoration of statehood, on which he needs to talk to the Union home minister.

Abdullah, speaking at the 18th Annual Tourism Summit 2024, said he needed to discuss several issues with the home minister, including the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. He noted that J&K is currently a UT and the home minister’s role differs in this context. Abdullah had previously met Shah on October 23 to discuss statehood restoration.