Perhaps time for ‘amicable divorce’ with Jammu: Lone
People Conference president Sajad Lone on Wednesday alleged that Jammu harboured an “obsessive opposition” to developmental initiatives in Kashmir, and said that perhaps the time has come for an “amicable divorce” between the two regions of the Union Territory.
Lone was referring to the demands from a section for shifting the recently announced National Law University in Budgam district of central Kashmir to the Jammu region and also for the separation of the Jammu region from Kashmir.
In a statement, Lone asked Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to honour his electoral commitment of establishing the Law University in Budgam, and questioned what he termed Jammu’s “obsessive opposition” to developmental initiatives in Kashmir. Emphasising the need for institutional integrity, Lone, the MLA from Handwara, said the sanctity of the institution of the chief minister demands that he live up to his promise and keep the university in Budgam. Referring to the “resistance” from some quarters in Jammu to Kashmir-centric projects, he said while he hopes Jammu prospers, “this obsession of having everything and anything that Kashmir wants is more of an issue of lunacy”.
“They have an IIM. What is wrong if a Law University comes to Kashmir,” he questioned. He suggested that the time has arrived for reconsidering the administrative arrangement between the two regions.
